HyperDimension Neptunia, Volume C
by Authorian - ButterHunter
Summary: Pulled from his 'normal' life, a 'normal' teenager is thrust into a world he would only dream to be real. His quest will be an epic one, fighting enemies, discovering far-away lands, and... finding love interests? In a world of cute girls? (We don't talk about other men.) Can he power through it all, or will he stumble and fall? Rated M for strong language and (maybe) lemons later.
1. Turning Point of War

**Hey all of you awesome people out there! Hello and welcome to my second story on Fanfiction! My name is ButterHunter (if it's not obvious), and if you read the title, you know what this story is about. One of the funniest, coolest, weirdest, and very popular game series ever, HyperDimension Neptunia. Hey, just because my name is out of Minecraft, doesn't mean all my work should have be about it, riiiiight?**

 **Anyway, this story will be about Rebirth 1, the first remake game in the series. All the characters (except for DLC) will be included. When the story is finished, if there's enough demand, I will do the second, then the third volume. But only if enough of you awesome people want that.**

 **And a few more things: First, this story will more or less tell the entire plot line of the game, so if you don't want to ruin the story for yourself, I suggest you back out of this story right now. And second, I know that an anime exists of the story, but I haven't watched it, so don't start yelling at me about that. This is about the GAMES after all, not the anime.**

 **Anyway, without further adieu, let's get ready! I'll explain more in the end of chapter notes. Here's… the first chapter.**

Chapter 1: Turning Point of War

 **Disclaimer: I don't own HyperDimension, or anything else related to it. Wish I did, but I don't. Just my OC.**

 _Female narrator..._

Gamindustri…

Here in this reality shift realm are 4 presiding CPUs, AKA Console Patron Unit.

Each reside in Celestia, a world separate from the Land they oversee.

CPU Black Heart, and her "Land of Black Regality - Lastation -"

CPU White Heart, and her "Land of White Serenity - Lowee -"

CPU Green Heart, and her "Land of Green Pastures - Leanbox -"

CPU Purple Heart, and her "Land of Purple Progress - Planeptune -"

Here, the CPUs fight endlessly in battle for rule over Gamindustri.

This battle is etched in history. This is the Console War…

 _Third person POV…_

 _Somewhere in Celestia…_

"huff, huff" gasped Purple Heart.

"You're all so stubborn. Why don't you all give up already?" Black Heart taunted the other three.

"Nonsense!" Purple Heart said, regaining herself. "We've been fighting for hundreds of years. Why stop now?"

"That's my line!" White Heart yelled. "I won't let any of you take the title of True Goddess!"

Green Heart sighed. "How much longer do we have to put up with this pointless fighting?" she said, sounding both tired and bored.

"When then, do us a favor and just die!" yelled White Heart right back at Green, rushing her.

Green Heart effortlessly blocked the strike, saying, "My! Such raucous manners! I have matters of destiny to fulfill, unlike you."

"Shut it!" White shouted, her eyes turning rather menacing. "I can't stand the way you talk all high n' mighty, Thunder Tits!"

Green thought about that for a brief second, before replying, "...Breasts are symbolic of maturity and fertility… qualities of a goddess. With such logic, it can be said you are the least… fitting." That last bit was said with a smug smile.

"The hell's that? All that crap, talkin' out yer butt. I'll kill you!" White said, rushing in again. But another weapon came out of nowhere, blocking the attack while also catching Green off guard. "Got you!" Black said.

"Wha-?" Green said, stumbling backward. White looked pissed. "Dammit, that was close!"

"Ahahahahaha! It's your fault for idly babbling in the midst of battle! Black said.

Green sighed again. "Really, how much longer does this sterile battle have to continue?"

Then a new voice spoke.

"When then, why not get rid of one of you?"

"True…" Green Heart replied. "That could be the catalyst of change we've been searching for." She didn't seem at all fazed that she answered the voice of an unknown owner.

"Not a bad idea." Black also said, just as unfazed.

"What? What are you all talking about?" Purple said, as she had heard nothing, but then these three suddenly agreed on something.

"So who's the sad one to be ousted here?" White asked. She was also unfazed.

"I suggest… Purple Heart… Neptune." the voice said once more.

"It would be difficult to get rid of her later, so I can agree to that." Green Heart agreed. White Heart also agreed, saying, "Yeah, I'm fine with that."

"Who are you three talking to?" Purple Heart said, still not hearing this new voice. But rather than an answer, suddenly the other three turned to her, weapons at the ready.

"Ahahahahaha! It's settled then! So sorry!" Black Heart said, her voice full of fake sympathy.

"What?! What are you all talking about?!" Purple Heart shouted, suddenly at the ready.

But then, Black Heart rushed in. Purple Heart parried, and used her sword to return Black back where she came from. But then White rushed in. Purple dodged, and gave a blow that knocked White down, if only for a second. "Damn you…" White said under her breath.

White rushed again, but this time Black and Green followed. For the next few minutes, Purple Heart kept on dodging and slashing, keeping pace with the three's sudden attack. But soon, luck favored the three.

Green rushed Purple, and both found themselves locked sword to spear. White took advantage of this, and then, Purple Heart's sword flew out of her hands, and she stumbled back. She jumped up and tried to get it back, but Green knocked it away before she could.

Black finally ended this. With one last powerful strike, she charged at Purple Heart and swung. All Purple could do was try and block with her arms, but it didn't work.

She flew backwards, right off of the floating island they were fighting on. She could stop her fall, she was knocked out from the blow. As she fell, her form shimmered, and so after, she turned in a little girl. She could do nothing as she fell through the clouds, and out of sight…

 _Much later…_

In the night sky above a city, a shooting star appeared. A girl sitting on her small balcony noticed this, but something was off. "What's that?" she asked herself. It couldn't be a normal shooting star, as it had looked very close. But as the girl could really see it anymore, she just stared at where it had disappeared in the nearby forest…

 _Meanwhile, somewhere far beyond in a different universe…_

A young man was having a very strange dream. Instead of the usual dreams, he had seen what appeared to be a girl, falling through the sky. 'Odd…' he had thought, but dismissed it.

Later that day, as he was heading to his home from school, something happened again. It was as if his mind was trying to blank out of him, and think about something completely different. He nearly tripped and fell, but he caught himself. 'What the hell was that?'

And then… he didn't know what happened. One second he was fine, but then the next, he was falling. As if a hole suddenly appeared at his feet. Just after all that registered, he passed out. What had happened to him is unknown, but we do know what his life was about to become for him, and for some other people as well…

 **And there we have it. This chapter is complete. Sorry that it's really short, but this was really just needed for a small bit of backstory, as well as a plot convince to explain why now my OC will be in the story. That's the beauty of video games: almost anything will work to help further the plot, and I can get away with it. But anyway, I'll go into much more detail in the next chapter, I promise.**

 **Anything else… ah! Yes! So, to recap, this story will tell the entire plot line to the first Rebirth game of HyperDimension, so don't read if you don't already know how the game goes and don't want spoilers. Also, again, this is about the GAMES, not the anime, so don't yell at me about that. Other than my OC, all characters included will be from the game. (DLC excluded) And yes, expect a lot of fourth wall breaks, references, and direct talking to you guys from some characters.**

 **I think that just about covers everything. If you guys want to see more, I'll continue the story. If not, then I'll just get rid of it and we won't worry about it anymore.**

 **Anyway guys, thank you for reading my new story! If you thought the games were good themselves, oh just wait til we really get into it! If you have any questions or concerns, just PM me, and all try to answer ASAP. This is ButterHunter, and until next time guys, stay awesome.**


	2. Fates Intertwine

**Hey what is up all you awesome people out there! Welcome to chapter two of the new story! I'm sure you're eager to read more, (why else would you be here?) so I won't keep you waiting. Here we go!**

Chapter Two: Fates Intertwine

 **Disclaimer: I don't own any part of HyperDimension Neptunia. Only my OC.**

 _Third person POV…_

 _Somewhere in the woods…_

It was a peaceful night…

Until the girl crashed in the ground with a loud "BLAM!" noise.

She was unconscious, but surprisingly, she seemed rather fine. Her clothes weren't to badly messed up, and she didn't seem to have any broken bones or anything. She was rather bruised and a bit battered, however. Not to mention she was buried from the waist down in the ground.

But then, not even two minutes after she had landed, another figure landed on the ground, bare inches from her. This one was a male. Brown hair, tall, and glasses were the most notable things about him at the moment. The way he fell, he ended up coming to a stop partly on top of the girl from before.

Just as with the girl, this guy was knocked unconscious, and also seemed to be in pretty much perfect condition. His breathing was steady, and he didn't seem to have any broken bones or anything. He was a bit battered, though no bruises.

A rushing was heard a while after these two landed. A person stepped out from behind a couple bushes. It was the same girl who had seen the 'shooting star' from before. "Sooo, it should have landed…" she said to herself, before seeing the massive crater with the two people inside. She rushed over to them.

 _Somewhere..._

"Ugh… Ugh…" a male voice said.

His head was hurting badly. He didn't know why that was, but he tried his best to ignore it.

Then he opened his eyes. And saw… nothing. Absolutely nothing. Just blackness.

"What the… where the hell am I?" he asked himself, before realizing something.

'Where am I? Who am I? Why can't I remember anything?' he thought, panicking a little, shuffling around, trying to remember something. ANYTHING.

"Who am I?" he asked no one, but suddenly, it came to him. His name is Cameron. Cameron Wallis. 'Okay, that's one mystery solved, but what about everything else?'

He, Cameron, started to try and remember, only to hear a voice ring out, saying something inaudible. He looked around, trying to find the source, but saw nothing. So he did the only other thing he could think of, and walked toward the voice.

 _A while before this…_

The purple haired girl stirred, then woke up. She sat up, and saw…

"It's dark… Like, pitch black. Where am I?" she said to herself.

"Oh, I get it! It must be a power outage! Or maybe the circuit breaker dropped? But then, why am I bright like I've been splashed with fluorescent paint?"

"I guess it's just my brilliance emanating from me!" she continued, with a cocky smile. "Heh, just kidding!"

"Um, hello? Is anyone here? I hope I don't step on your figures or anything." she said, starting to walk nowhere in particular. The next few minutes were just her talking loudly to herself about what she would be stepping in.

"Umm… do I just keep waiting for more lines from other people to get typed, or what?" she asked herself.

 **(Sigh… I was afraid of that. She's breaking the fourth wall, even in my story. Just roll with it.)**

"This is way weird! Anyone out there?!" she called out loudly. She would have said more, but suddenly, she heard footsteps walking around.

"There! Hey, anyone there?!" she yelled, running toward the sound.

She was about to call out again, but out of nowhere, she ran into something. Or rather, someone. The impact made both people fall over and land on their bums.

"Ow! Watch where you're…" a voice said, cutting off. It was the same guy from before, Cameron. For a few seconds, both of those two said nothing.

Cameron stared dumbfounded at this newcomer. She had came out of nowhere, running full speed straight at him. But that wasn't what bothered him at all. What did bother him was that this girl looked exactly like the one from his dreams, which he just remembered. Purple hair, young looking, bright purple eyes… it was an exact match.

"Um… hi?" he said, unsure of what else to say.

"Who… who are you?" she asked.

"Umm… who are you?" Cameron asked right back.

"I'm… I'm… uh…" she said, before realizing something. "Umm… I don't…"

"You… forgot your name too?" Cameron asked, surprised. The girl was straining herself to remember her name.

"N-n-no… I haven't forgotten, I just…" she started, when suddenly, she realized something and snapped her fingers.

"I remember! I'm Neptune! How could I have forgotten?" she said, giggling to herself.

'Ohhh kaaay… this girl is a bit, umm… strange. And Neptune… rather strange name to me.' Cameron thought.

"Wait, what did you mean by, 'you forgot your name too?' Did you forget yours?" Neptune suddenly asked.

"Oh, well, I did, but I remembered." Cameron replied. Neptune blinked at him a couple of times. "Oh right, I'm Cameron." he added quickly.

"Cameron, huh?" she said, thinking it over. "Nope, can't say I've heard that one before…"

"Hmm… where are we?" Cameron asked, looking around. Nothing but inky blackness.

"Wish I knew… it's kinda creepy." Neptune said, looking around a bit nervously. "Buuut… I can't recall anything."

"You… lost your memory?" Cameron asked, disbelieving that she shared even that similarity. She nodded.

"Yeah, I can't remember anything. What about you?" she asked.

"I… I can't remember anything either." Cameron mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Hmmm… this is strrraaaannnggge…" Neptune said.

"Well, maybe there's an exit somewhere." Cameron said, standing up. "You coming?" he added. Neptune looked surprised at that.

"Wait, barely a few minutes after meeting me and you already trust me?" she said. Cameron just shrugged at that.

"I don't know. Why? Do you not trust me?" he countered. She didn't say anything about that, so he held out his hand to pull her up.

After a few minutes, the two were both walking in no particular direction. Cameron wasn't talking a whole lot, but Neptune was a chatter-box and a half. She was always saying random things, asking Cameron questions, complaining about something.

Two minutes later, Neptune stopped abruptly. "Yikes! I think I stepped in something! Ew, soft and mushy…" she said, before looking down.

There was nothing there. Or at least, that's what Cameron thought, because soon after, he could see something barely outlined against the black ground.

"What is it?" Neptune asked. Cameron shrugged, before moving forward again. Neptune followed close behind.

"Geez, I'm bored. Hello!? Anyone out there?!" she yelled out. Cameron sighed.

"Neptune, I highly doubt that if you just yell out 'Anyone out there?' then someone's gonna answer you." he said, still walking.

"Still, worth a try. Whose line are we waiting for anyway?" Neptune complained.

 **(Siiiigggghh… get used to fourth wall breaks in this story.)**

Cameron was about to ask her what she meant by that, when suddenly, someone answered.

 _"I apologize for the delay. Have you two been here long?"_ a female voice asked.

Cameron whipped around, but saw no one.

"Hey, a voice! Who are you? Delay for what?" Neptune asked, before something came to mind. "Wait! Did our souls go to heaven?!"

"I doubt it." Cameron said. The voice realized her mistake and tried to cover it up.

 _"Please calm down. I did not intend to scare you there."_ she said. Cameron was still looking around, trying to see if he could find the source of this voice, but he didn't see anything.

 _"You won't find me standing around here. I'm not… there at the moment. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Histoire, a tome. You fell from Celestia, Neptune. And now, I seek a favor from you."_ the voice said.

'Yep, sounds about right. Person loses memory, then someone tells that person to do a favor.' Cameron thought out of nowhere. It just occured to him that slowly, small details were coming back. 'Hopefully everything will come back soon enough.'

Meanwhile, Neptune was freaking out a little bit. "A t-t-t-tomb?" she stuttered, shaking. "I knew it! We're so dead! Wait, what do you mean "fell?" To where? Hell?!"

"Neptune, calm down, please." Cameron said. But she wasn't listening.

"Augh! I should've finished my game backlog and erased everything on my HDD!" she said, frantically pacing on the spot.

Even Histoire must have thought that Neptune was losing it, because she said, _"Um… Neptune? Please take a deep breath and calm yourself."_

"How can I calm myself when someone can look into my "special" HDD collections?!" Neptune said, panicking a bit too much for her own good.

 _"Neptune, you and your friend here have not died. You have merely fallen unconscious."_ Histoire said. Finally, Neptune calmed down the tiniest bit.

"Huh? Really?" Neptune asked. She took a big sigh of relief before continuing. "What a relief… Um, Ms. Heavenly Voice? How do you know about me? Oh, are you my fan?"

If this Histoire person was here right now, Cameron was sure she would have face palmed. As it was, it was a few awkward seconds before she spoke again.

 _"I am Histoire. I record the history of Gamindustri with the goddesses."_ she said.

Neptune wasn't exactly happy with this sudden change of the conversation. "Sure, don't answer me then…" she said under her breath.

'Wait… is Neptune… getting quieter?' Cameron wondered, because her voice sounded like it was getting further away, even though she was right next to him.

 _"I am sorry,"_ Histoire said, _"but I was getting a bit tired of pointing out everything…"_

"Great, now I make others tired!" Neptune replied huffily.

'She's… definitely getting harder to hear.' Cameron thought, straining to hear Neptune.

 _"Anyhow, I don't have much time, so I will get to the point."_ Histoire said, now with her voice becoming harder to hear. Something was drowning out her voice, making it softer and softer by the second.

 _"Please, Neptune. Please lend me your powers."_ Histoire said. But Neptune was having hearing problems as well.

"Huh? What did you say?" she half-shouted. "There's a lot of noise on my side!"

Histoire's voice was becoming almost impossible to hear. Cameron made out, _"Please stop Arfo… and put… end to… Console War…"_

And then suddenly, everything went dark again. Neptune vanished from view, but Cameron could still hear the loud noise.

 _BEEP BEEP BEEP! BEEP BEEP BEEP!_

"Shut up!" he shouted, covering his ears. But he could soon hear another voice.

"Shuuuuuuut… up!" it shouted, and this sounded like Neptune.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, he heard a loud punch, and the sound stopped ringing. "Oh, shoot! Did I break something?" the voice said. Then Cameron suddenly realized his eyes were closed.

Opening them, Cameron found himself in a room he was unfamiliar with. It was a decent sized room, with cream colored walls and pink curtains. He was laying down on a cot next to a small coffee table, and when he looked over, Neptune was lying down on the large, comfy looking couch, covered with some blankets. In the back of the room, a few shelves were here and there, with a stuffed animal or two on top of them. But leaning against one of them, a huge as hell doctors needle was sitting on the floor. It was probably almost as tall as Neptune, just under six feet.

"Wait, where am I now?" Neptune said, before she noticed Cameron sitting up. But before either of them could say anything else, someone else stepped into the room. Another girl.

"Oh, you're both up. Good morning, sleepyheads! Well, actually, good afternoon!" this new girl said. She had pink-ish hair and wore what looked like a handmade wool sweater. She had a pleasant smile on her face, and she seemed like a nice person.

Neptune spoke first. "Um, this isn't my room, is it? Is it yours?" she asked, before adding, "And why am I tucked snugly in?"

"Well, it was just last night…" the new girl said. "I saw a shooting star! That was you." she finished. Cameron blinked at this girl's very short response.

Even Neptune must have felt a tad bit awkward, because she said, "That was a short answer. Wait… that means, I fell from the sky?!" she said, looking over at Cameron.

He was thinking about that too. 'So… Histoire WAS telling the truth… which means she is real.' he thought.

"Yes. You were stuck into the ground like Soul-sword… only it was you." she said, before turning to Cameron. "You were close by her. Knocked out, but you weren't lodged in the ground or anything. You were much easier to get out of the hole."

"Um… thanks?" Cameron said slowly. 'This girl… she's a bit… strange as well. Well, she saved me, so I guess it's okay… sorry, us.'

Neptune was thinking about what this girl had said before. "Soul-sword? You mean Soul E***?" she mumbled the last bit, so Cameron couldn't make out what she said. "Wasn't it the Excalibur that was stuck?"

"Oh, that's right. I'm not sure why I keep mistaking it with Soul-***e." the other girl said. "Anywho, you both were out cold, so I pulled you both you and brought you two here." she said happily.

"All by yourself? That's cool, thanks! You're a lot stronger than you look." Neptune replied to that. Cameron simply nodded.

"I go to a nursing school. Moving bodies is part of my training, so I'm fine." the other girl said. "Actually, come to think of it, I haven't introduced myself. My name is Compa." the girl said.

'Okay, finally, now the author doesn't have to strain himself as hard with the names.' Cameron thought, before thinking, 'Where the hell did that come from?'

 **(Oh god dammit, now even MY character is breaking the fourth wall! What the hell… sigh… I've lost control of it. Just roll with, okay?)**

"I'm Neptune! Thanks for saving us, Compa! Hope we all can be friends!" Neptune said.

"And I'm Cameron. Glad to meet you." Cameron added.

"It's nice to meet both of you, Cameron and Nept-... Nepee-... Nepta-... Nepel-… Neput-..." Compa said, for some reason struggling to say Neptune.

'It's not THAT hard to say, is it?' Cameron wondered.

Neptune, however, didn't seem to mind. "Neptuna, Nep-Nep, Nepper, it doesn't matter. You can call me anything!" she said.

Cameron gave her a sideways look that said, 'Seriously? Nepper? That's something you don't mind getting called?'. She just shrugged.

"Oh okay then! How about Nep-Nep? It's nice to meet you, Nep-Nep!" Compa said, not missing a beat.

'Okay, not the WORST nickname out there…' Cameron thought, before Compa continued.

"Oh wait, I noticed you're all bruised." Compa said, looking at Neptune. It was true, from what could be seen, there were quite a bit of bruises. "Allow me to take a look at that real quick."

"Yeah, I am kinda scraped up, huh?" Neptune replied, looking at herself. "Strange, I feel like I got sandbagged… ah, but I'm only scratched, so it must be my imagination!" Neptune said cheerily.

"Okay then, so, Cameron, you might want to turn around for a bit…" Compa said. Cameron was a bit confused at that.

"Why?" he asked. Compa looked a bit surprised at his question.

"Well… never mind, just turn if you feel the need to." Compa said, looking the smallest bit awkward. Cameron shot a glance at Neptune. She looked confused as well.

"Then, Nep-Nep, would you mind coming over here? Easier to check over here." Compa asked, walking over to a small bed for patients on the other side of the apartment. Neptune followed, just as confused as Cameron was.

"Okay then, so let's first get those clothes off you." Compa said.

Cameron's eyes widened at that. 'Wait, what?!' he thought. Neptune quickly turned and looked at him.

Faster than light, Cameron turned around, his face becoming a bit red. After seeing this, Neptune was a bit more reassured. "Okay! Taking my clothes off…" she said.

For a second, the rustling of clothing was heard. 'Dear god, what is happening right now…' Cameron wondered to himself.

"Wait! Why do I have to go nude?!" Neptune asked, stopping for a moment. "I don't need to make myself more powerful!"

"Well I can't bandage you with your clothes on." Compa said, her voice sounding like Neptune should know this. "No need to be shy now."

"Well, I get that, but still…" Neptune said, finished undressing.

"Okay, here comes the wrap. This way… that way… loop it over…" Compa said.

'What… what is happening?' Cameron asked himself. He took a small peek behind himself. 'What is going on back ther-' he thought, but was immediately met with…

'What… the… fuck?' Cameron thought, his face becoming very red. Both of them were on the bed, Compa wrapping Neptune with a large amount of gauze. From what Cameron could see, Neptune was not having a very fun time over there. Thankfully, some of the more… personal bits were already covered up, but Cameron could still clearly see some of Neptune's… 'NO! Don't look there!' he quickly thought.

"Nrrgh! H-hold on! Can't you make it a bit loose? It's getting tigh-" Neptune said. Compa was a bit focused on wrapping Neptune, so she didn't respond immediately.

"You don't want it loose or you'll trip! Just be patient now…" Compa said, struggling a little bit. Even Cameron thought that she was making the wrap a little too tight.

"Urgh!" Neptune gagged. "I can't… breathe. My back… Ahhhh-!" Her face was becoming a bit blue. Cameron was almost about to run over and help, but then remembered that he wasn't supposed to be seeing this.

"Ah…" Neptune gasped, before passing out cold.

"Nep-Nep? Are you okay?!" Compa said, realizing just how tight the wrap really was. "Please come back! Nep-Nep? Nep-Nep?!" She shouted out the last bit.

'Argh! Turn around you idiot!' Cameron shouted in his mind, finally turning back around.

'Okay… well then… I'm never going to talk about this.' Cameron thought, taking a deep breath. 'This story wasted no fucking time.'

 _About ten minutes later…_

Neptune had finally woken up. She was not very happy about how she was wrapped tighter than a Christmas present.

"Th-that was close… I was just an inch away from entering the light…" she said, sweating. Cameron did his best to keep his face as neutral as possible.

"Whatever happened back there, I don't want to know." he added, just to make sure neither of them decided to tell. As if there was any doubt.

"I don't think it was that bad. I only made the wrap a wee bit tight." Compa said, rubbing the back of her neck.

"Really? I was wrapped tighter than some huge fighting mummy…" Neptune said, clearly still unhappy about what happened.

"So, um, back to before… why did Nep-Nep and Cameron come from the sky and get stuck in the ground?" Compa asked, looking at the two curiously.

Cameron simply shook his head, saying, "I have absolutely no idea why. My memory is gone. Neptune? You remember anything?"

"I… don't know… I don't remember anything before coming here…" she replied, thinking.

"Maybe you're both suffering from amnesia." Compa suggested.

Cameron was thinking hard, trying to remember something, ANYTHING. All he could come up with was some video game references and his name.

"Really? Well, I guess so." Neptune said, shrugging. She looked awfully calm about the whole situation.

"I'd like to help, but I don't have anything to cure amnesia…" Compa said. She looked rather upset that she couldn't do anything to help her new friends. Cameron honestly felt bad for the poor girl.

"Oh, don't worry about it, Compa. No need to get yourself down over it." Neptune said, seeing Compa's worry.

"Yeah, don't worry about it." Cameron tagged on, trying to cheer her up as well.

"But…" Compa said, still upset.

"Um, you know what? I'm a bit hungry." Neptune said, her stomach lightly growling to prove her point. "Um, do you have any food I could eat?"

Cameron didn't want to admit it, but now he realized just how hungry he was as well. But Compa must have seen it as well.

"Food? Well, I don't have much, but…" Compa said, going to the kitchen around the corner to look. She came back, saying, "...how about some pudding?"

"Oooh, pudding?" Cameron said, perking up instantly. "Please say you have chocolate. PLEASE say you have chocolate."

'Okay, so at least SOME things are returning.' Cameron thought. 'Like food. Food is a good thing to remember.'

Neptune looked at the two, rather confused. "Um pudding? What's a pudding?"

Both Cameron and Compa turned and looked surprised at Neptune. "You don't know what a pudding is?" Compa asked.

"Nope, never heard of it." Neptune said, becoming curious. "Does it taste good?"

"Hold on, let me bring over one for both of you." Compa said, but not before giving Cameron a wink and a smile that said, 'yep, I have chocolate.'

After a few moments, Neptune and Cameron both had their own pudding. Cameron was digging right in, but Neptune hadn't taken her first bite yet. It must have been a banana pudding or something, because hers was a bright yellow.

"Hm… so this yellow thing is a pudding?" Neptune asked, picking at it a bit. "Whoa! It wiggles when you poke it!"

"Nep-Nep, don't tell me… did you lose memory of food, too?" Compa asked, her voice sounding a bit more concerned.

Neptune shook her head. "...I remember "cake" and stuff, so I guess I really don't know what it is."

She looked over again and saw Cameron eating like there was no tomorrow. He couldn't help it. When Compa brought over the pudding, he found that he was starving. Neptune looked back at hers and said, "Well, here I go!", taking a big bite.

Her eyes instantly widened at the taste. "The tantalizing sweetness melts away on my tongue! This is amazing!"

Somehow, even though Cameron had a rather big head start, Neptune finished hers before he did. It looked more like she inhaled it rather than ate it.

"Really? It was good?" Compa said, a somewhat embarrassed smile on her face.

"Really! That has to have been made by the finest chef in the world!" she Neptune said. "Where can I get more?" Neptune asked.

"Well, I actually made it myself." Compa said.

"Amazing…" Neptune said, her eyes becoming a tad unfocused. "Compa, you are a genius…"

"Oh, stop teasing me, Nep-Nep. Wait a minute. Let me get more!" Compa said, disappearing behind the corner yet again.

Five minutes later, another five cartons of pudding were cleared and stacked on the table, all of them belonging to Neptune. "You're homemade pudding was a blast, Compa!" she praised. Cameron agreed, saying it was good, even though he didn't eat nearly as many puddings.

"I'm happy you liked it. By the way, what are you two going to do now?" Compa asked, curious.

"Hm… didn't think about that…" Cameron said quietly to himself, rubbing his chin. "I don't know who I am, so what should I do?"

Neptune, however, had a plan. "Well, I want to know what happened, so I'll go back to where I was found." she said, before turning to Cameron. "You wanna come along?"

"I'm in. I have no better ideas." he said, standing up.

"Ooh! Then I can take you there Nep-Nep, Cameron!" Compa said eagerly.

"When do we leave?" Cameron asked, stretching.

"Just give me five minutes." she said once again going around the corner.

And so, thus began the journey of a lifetime. One filled with more adventure and discovery than most people could even dream about.

'Wonder what will be in store.' Cameron thought. Little did he know how much he would be a part of.

 **And there we go. I told you guys, my stories always start short, but they quickly become thick over time.**

 **I hope you all enjoyed this chapter to my story! I'm so sorry about taking so long in posting it, but I've been trying to type two chapters of my two different stories at the same time. I should have the next chapter for this story out by… I want to say, next Wednesday, but if you all have been with me for a while, you know that I am horrible with keeping up with my expectations.**

 **As always, if you guys have any questions, PM me and I will do my best to answer them to my ability. Until next time guys, stay awesome.**


	3. Discovery, Caves, and Nep

**Hello all of you awesome people out there! It's ButterHunter here, back with the next chapter! I hope all of you people are enjoying this so far. It's awesome to see how much people are liking this story as well.**

 **Anyway, let's get right back into the story!**

Chapter 3: Discovery, Caves, and Nep

 **Disclaimer: I don't own any part of HyperDimension Neptunia. Only my OC.**

After about three minutes, the three new friends were walking through the heart of the city, more or less with Compa leading them. Neptune and Cameron were looking around the huge city, with all of the interesting people living here.

"Wow, this place is huge!" Neptune said, running around joyfully.

"Yeah, it is. By the way, what was this city called again, Compa?" Cameron said, turning to Compa.

"This is Planeptune. It's a city that Lady Purple Heart presides over." she said over her shoulder. Neptune slowed down a little when she heard that.

"Planeptune, huh? That… sounds familiar." Neptune said.

Compa nodded at that. "It sounds kinda like your name, Nep-Nep. You probably live here or something."

"Hmm…" Cameron mused to himself. "We should probably get going. Staying here won't get us anywhere." he said to the other two. "Where are we going again?" he asked, to which Compa said to the park just outside the city.

"Really? That's good! I really don't like carry…" Neptune started, but suddenly stopped as she spotted something. "Hm? Wait a sec…" she said, running over to a couple trash bins next to what looked like an apartment building of some sort.

She started to dig through one of them, muttering under her breath. "Nep-Nep? What are you doing rummaging through someone's garbage?" Compa asked. Cameron was glad no one was close by to see this, because this would have been awkward to explain.

Neptune found what she was looking for. "Look what I found you two! Swords!" she said, indeed with two swords, one in each hand. "Well, they're both made of wood, but hey, a swords a sword!"

"I see that. What do you plan to do with those?" Cameron said, looking closely at the one Neptune handed him.

"Um… LARPing?" Neptune said, trying to make a joke. This got a facepalm from Cameron and an awkward smile from Compa.

"Um… okay, Nep-Nep, whatever you say…" Compa said, before turning to walk again.

"Hey Cameron! Look out!" Neptune said. Cameron turned just in time to block a swing from Neptune.

"HEY! What the hell?!" he said, stepping in with his own jab. Neptune looked surprised, but then she grinned mischievously. For a good twenty seconds, those two fought back and forth. Cameron was more surprised than anything. 'Where did I learn to fight like this?' he thought.

But those two realized Compa was waiting for them, watching them from a safe distance. "Ooh… um… yeah, sorry Compa. Kinda got carried away." Cameron apologized. Compa said she didn't mind to much. In fact, according to her, it looked like Neptune and Cameron were having fun.

After a minute, the three continued to walk to the exit. Cameron and Neptune sheathed their swords, Cameron using a sheath that Neptune also found in the trash behind his back, and Neptune by using a sheath that clipped to her belt.

"You think it's strange to be walking around with weapons on our backs?" Cameron asked Compa a bit later, as he could swear at least two or three people shot second glances at the weapon strapped to his back in the last two minutes.

"I don't know, but maybe it'll be useful later on. Who knows?" Compa replied. Cameron didn't really know what else to say at that point, so he shut up for a while. But then one more question came to mind.

"What the hell were two swords doing in the trash? I mean, I know both of them are made of wood, but still? Who does that?"

 _About five minutes later…_

Finally, the trio arrived at the park entrance. Strangely, no people seemed to be around, even though it was a beautiful day out, perfect for a park stroll.

"So, I guess this is the area where I was elegantly lodged into the ground, right?" Neptune said, looking around. Cameron was as well, looking for some sort of sign as to where the crash had happened.

"Well, not quite. It's much further back. But…" Compa said, noticing something.

"But?" Cameron asked, still looking around. He saw something move, just at the edge of the tree line.

"There are monsters all over the place now. They weren't here last night…" Compa said, looking a bit worried.

"Monsters? You mean, like that blue, dog-like jelly thingy over there?" Neptune said, pointing at a pile of rocks. Out of nowhere, a blue glob hopped out from behind the rocks. It almost looked like a dog, except that it was blue, and looked rather… squishy.

"Yeah, exactly like that. Like I said, they were here before…" Compa said, still rather worried.

"Um, wouldn't this world have monsters all over the place? I mean, this is a story based on an RPG, right?" Neptune said. Compa and Cameron stared at Neptune for a while, confused. "What?"

"No, not really. They just showed up out of nowhere the last few years." Compa said.

"Let's just head in. Maybe they won't hurt us if we don't provoke it." Cameron said, walking in a wide berth around the blue creature. It looked at Cameron, but didn't do anything else. Just watched him.

"What are you guys waiting for? Come on!" Cameron called over, waving at those two to hurry up.

Compa looked concerned, but she followed, Neptune close behind, though she seemed more interested in making faces at the blue creature.

"Aww come on! I wanted to fight it! We could get some XP!" Neptune complained.

"Come on, no reason to fight something that doesn't hit first." Cameron told her, before immediately finding himself surrounded by three more blue dog creatures. "Woah, hey, HEY! Back off!" he yelled, spinning around, trying to keep all three in sight.

"Cameron!" Compa called out, running forward to help. Neptune looked excited.

"Oh boy! Now do we get to beat them up?" she asked, looking at Cameron, who was still trying to get the creatures to back off.

She didn't even wait for his answer, before stepping in and jabbing at one of the creatures with her sword. _BAM! Critical hit!_

'Seriously?' Cameron thought, after seeing those words. 'We are actually typing this like it's an RPG? Oh well, the authors the boss.'

Quickly, Cameron pulled out his own sword and took a slice at the same creature Neptune had hit. Of course, he missed. "Well that's just great." he said sarcastically.

"Come on, Cameron! How can you be the heroine's sidekick if you miss!" Neptune teased playfully.

"Hold on, I'm a sidekick now? I'm supposed to be the main hero!" Cameron complained.

"Neptune, are you sure you can fight?" Compa asked, sticking to the back for now.

"I have a trusty sword (wood) and skills with me. It'll be a piece of cake!" Neptune replied proudly. Both Cameron and Compa looked at each other, but they decided to just let Nep say what she wants to say.

"Well, if you both are going to fight, then I will too! Just, let me get this out…" Compa responded, before pulling out that giant syringe from out of nowhere. She held it like a hammer almost, looking ready to fight.

"Uh… do I even want to know where that came from?" Cameron asked, while doing his best to also keep an eye on the monsters in front of him. Thankfully, they seemed a bit more interested in what was going on than attacking right now.

"Well, I gotta have something to fight with. As to where it came from… that is a Compa secret…" Compa whispered, smiling to herself. Cameron just blinked a little in confusion.

"Um, my imagination of where it came from can't explain the 'how'..." Neptune responded, voicing Cameron and her's confusion. "And you do know how cliche it is to carry a huge weapon, right?"

"Oh, that's just nitty-gritty info! Let's just beat the nasties and move on." Compa responded, standing next to Neptune, looking ready to fight. Neptune looked like she wanted to continue talking, but then the monsters got bored and looked ready to fight.

"So, Compa, all we do is just beat them up, right?" Neptune asked, holding her sword excitedly.

"Yes. The Dogoos are cute, but they are bad monsters, so we can beat them up." Compa replied, getting prepared herself.

"Yay! Then let's get this battle tutorial over with!" Neptune said.

"Um, Neptune? This is a story. There are no tutorials, remember?" Cameron reminded her. He wished there was one. A few more seconds of safety would be nice.

"Oh yeah." Neptune agreed, remembering her place. "Well then, let's get this battle out of the way so the plot can move forward! Nah, doesn't have the same ring…"

Cameron sighed. 'Whatever. Let's get this over with.'

 _Battle start._

Three Dogoos, as Compa called them, rushed forward. They looked rather harmless, but these three knew better.

Compa went first. She ran forward and shot one of the creatures with her syringe a few times. It didn't fall, but it did lose almost all its health.

Cameron was next. He moved ahead and beat down another one. This time, his swipes didn't miss. He actually managed to kill the thing, all from a couple of swings. 'Damn, am I already overleveled?' he thought, surprised at himself.

Unfortunately, one of the Dogoos moved now. He went straight for Cameron, smacking him in the face with its whole body. Fortunately, he had plenty of health to spare. "Ow! Cheap shot." he said, recovering instantly.

Neptune rushed forward now. She thought about it, and then went after the one that hit Cameron. "Skills time!" she said, holding her sword at the ready.

Then, the surroundings got dark. The words _Cross Combo_ appeared above Neptune, as she said, "I'll slice you in half!" She rushed forward and delivered six quick swings, before knocking it into the air. She jumped up, and with one more smack, sent the creature flying back down to the ground. It didn't stand a chance.

"Remind me not to piss you off." Cameron said, eyes wide from Neptune's attack. Compa quickly finished off the last Dogoo, and then the battle was over.

Cameron sheathed his sword, and grabbed something the monsters had dropped on death. "Dogoo Jelly?" Cameron said, a bit disgusted.

"Ooh, money!" Neptune said, grabbing coins of some kind that fell on the ground as well. "Cha-ching!"

"Here. I'll hold on to everything. I'm the one with backpack after all." Cameron said, holding out his hand. Neptune handed him the coins, which weren't ones that he was used to. They felt like they were made of plastic rather than metal. 'So the currency is tokens in this place? Odd…' he thought.

"Victory! See?" Neptune said, doing a small little dance on the spot. "Leave it to old Nep and her trusty sword (wood)!"

"Hey, we helped too you know." Cameron said indignantly. Neptune looked back and saw him glaring at Neptune.

Before she could say anything, Compa interrupted. "So, how was it fighting Mr. Monsters?"

"There's still a lot more that I need to learn, but I think I got the basics down." Neptune said.

"I agree. A few more times fighting like that and I think I'll get the hang of this." Cameron said. "Still need to work on strategy, though. Rushing up and smacking things around will probably only work for so long."

"You might have a point." Compa said, tucking her syringe back into who knows where. "Well, there's plenty more where those came from. We can train on the way."

"Now that's what I'm talking about!" Neptune said. She quickly grabbed Cameron by the hand and started pulling. "Come on! Let's go!"

"Hey, HEY! No pulling!" Cameron shouted, trying to break free.

"Those two get along so well." Compa said with a smile, following close behind.

 _About five minutes later…_

"Okay, so let's try this…"

Cameron had been writing as he walked, deciding on their plan of attack.

"So, when we get to the landing sight, let's look around a little. First, we'll clear out any monsters that may be there, and then, let's look in bushes, around trees, anything that might give us a clue. Maybe we dropped something when we hit the ground." Cameron said, looking at his paper. He looked up to see Neptune chasing after a Dogoo that was running away. "Neptune! Were you even listening?"

"Yeah, yeah, I know what to do Sherlock. Let's not make a big deal out of it." Nep said, taking out the monster.

Cameron sighed. "Come on Neptune, this is serious. Our memories are gone! Doesn't that concern you in the slightest?"

"Oooh! More money!" Neptune said, finding another bag full of tokens behind a tree. "I mean- of course it does! I just don't see any point in rushing. Don't be a downer."

"I'm not a downer, I want my memory back." Cameron said, standing up and brushing off the dust on his pants.

"Well, standing there with your piece of paper won't help. Come on Cameron, Nep-Nep. We're almost there!" Compa said, moving ahead. Cameron sighed again.

'Well, at least this hasn't been for nothing. We've gained a few levels by now.' he thought. That much was true, by now each of them had gained two levels each. 'We're just getting started.'

"I will say though…" Cameron said, as he began walking again. "I never thought getting my memory back would involve fighting walking flowers and weird blob creatures."

"First for everything I guess." Neptune said, walking along side Cameron. The two didn't say anything for a minute.

"Soo… anything quirky to say?" Cameron asked, trying to break the silence. Neptune thought about that for a second.

"Nope. I got nothing." she said.

"Heh. That's unlike you." Cameron said.

"Maybe." Neptune replied, blushing a little. Even she had to admit it was different for her to not have anything to say.

Before either of them could say anything else, Compa shouted out, "Over here you two! This is it!"

The two looked at each other, then dashed ahead. They parted some bushes and…

"Woah." Cameron said, his eyes getting wider.

Woah was right. It was a large clearing, and dead center of it all was a massive crater, which looked as though something exploded. Cameron and Neptune walked over to Compa, who was standing at the edge of it. "This is where I found you two."

"Wow… that's a huge hole right there…" Neptune said, surprised.

"No kidding… I thought it would be maybe a hole where we landed, but…" Cameron agreed.

"Nep-Nep, does this make you remember anything?" Compa asked curiously.

"..." Neptune tried to remember something. Cameron did too, but nothing was coming to mind.

"Um… Nep-Nep?" Compa asked.

"Mmm…" Neptune said, now getting a bit frustrated. "Mmmmmmmm…" her tone keep getting more and more angry.

"Ah! I can't remember a thing! Compa, are you sure we were stuck here?" Neptune finally shouted out, upset.

"Yes. You fell from the skies like and shooting star and landed right there." Compa said, pointing at a part of the crevice that had two slightly deeper indents in it.

"Like a shooting star, huh?" Cameron replied, sliding down to look in the crater better.

"That's right!" Compa replied, her voice a tad higher than normal.

"Something wrong Compa? Why'd you raise your voice?" Neptune asked. Cameron was still busy looking at the crater, even though there was nothing there other than dirt.

"Like Cameron said earlier, maybe there's a clue around here somewhere." Compa said, looking around a bit. "Nep-Nep, did you lose anything by chance? Maybe an ID card or something like that?"

"I wish, but you know, I can't remember anything, so…" Neptune started, but then, something clicked. "Hey, wait… I do remember something I'm missing!"

"Really?! What is it?" Compa asked, excitedly. Even Cameron glanced over at Neptune, wondering what she had remembered.

Neptune paused for a second, before revealing what she was missing. "Well, that's obvious, isn't it? It's…" she paused again, before shouting out…

"My memory!"

For a few seconds, no one made a sound. Compa and Cameron were looking at Neptune, for different reasons. Cameron was looking with disbelief at Neptune's… different sense of humor, and Compa was looking with a blank look.

"Um… wasn't that… funny?" Neptune asked, becoming nervous. Compa simply shook her head at Neptune. Cameron went back to his searching, clearly thinking that this wasn't the time for jokes.

"Nep-Nep? I don't think this is the time for fooling around…" Compa said, looking a little disappointed in Neptune. Neptune looked a little taken back.

"Wait, what? I thought you were joking when you asked me if I remembered!" Neptune said.

"Why would the nurse in this group joke about amnesia? That's not something you joke about, I would think." Cameron said, glancing at Neptune.

"Ah well, joking aside, let's just look for some clues." Compa said, looking in the bushes around the crater. Neptune soon joined in, digging around in the crater. For a few minutes, no one found anything.

"Hold on…" Cameron said, making everyone stop in place for a second. "Does anyone else hear that?"

The sound of something shifting around slowly grew louder. "I don't like this… I got a bad feeling…" Neptune said nervously.

All of the sudden, the shifting was revealed to be the very ground beneath the trio's feet. Cameron nearly fell in, but stepped away just as a hole appeared where he had been.

"Whoa! The ground's crumbling away!" Neptune shouted, trying to climb out of the crater, but it was too late. The ground gave way under Cameron first, sending him free-falling downward, shouting. Neptune and Compa fell in shortly after.

"We're falllllllllllllllllling!" Compa shouted, as the pair fell into the gaping pitfall.

 _One minute later…_

"Ow… ouch…" Neptune moaned out softly. She sat up, and realized that she hadn't been too badly hurt, she just landed at bit hard. Thankfully, Compa was right next to her, and she also looked okay. The pair of them had landed on something soft, cushioning the fall.

"I didn't expect that…" Neptune said, shaking Compa. "Man, this story is going to have all kinds of expected happenings, huh?"

Compa stirred. "Compa! Are you alright?" Neptune asked, concerned for her friend.

"Y-yessy… I think I'm okay. Just… I'm glad I'm not too badly hurt." Compa replied, sitting up and rubbing her head.

"Wait! Where's Cameron?!" Neptune said, looking around worriedly. "Came-ron! Where are you? Are you hurt?!"

"Cameron! Here, Cameron Cameron Cameron! Are you okay?" Compa shouted out also.

"Now your making him sound like a dog." Neptune said, still searching for Cameron. "Cameron! Say something if you can hear us!"

"Try looking down." said a voice, a bit weak and muffled. Both Neptune and Compa looked down to see that the soft thing that broke their fall was Cameron, facedown on the hard stone floor.

"Oh cod! Cameron! Are you okay?!" Neptune asked, quickly getting off him. Slowly, Cameron stood up, checking himself over.

"I'm fine… I think." he said, looking up at the hole now twenty feet above their heads. "That was… quite the fall." Looking around, he saw many crystals, all glowing with a mysterious light. "Where are we now?"

"Looks like we're beneath the forest…" Compa said, looking around nervously. "This place feels a bit weird…"

"Yeah, like… something's out there? I'm getting a lot of bad vibes from here…" Neptune said, also looking at the cave they were in. Then, she noticed something. "Um, Compa? What's this? Any idea what it is?"

Compa walked over to what Neptune was pointing at. Almost hidden behind a crystal, something was on the ground. It looked almost like a rock, except it had cracks that glowed with a bluish color. Something had clearly been broken off of it, as one end of the rock had a broken edge. "I… I've never seen anything like that before.

Cameron bent over and picked it up. For a second, the blue light seemed to become stronger in his hand. Then suddenly, the whole thing slowly melted into a small blue piece of metal, with one end of it still broken. Surprised, but also intrigued, Cameron turned the metal piece over, inspecting it. About the size of his hand, there was nothing remarkable about it, other than it being blue. "I wonder what it is…" he said, voicing his thoughts.

"Oh! I know! It must be a part of a medallion or something that we will change into items from a king later on!" Neptune said, smiling at her brilliance. But before anyone else could say anything else, something made a large noise. A low, powerful growl that seemed to shake the very ground under the trio's feet.

"What?! W-where's that plot-inducing growl coming from?!" Neptune said, fearfully dancing on the spot, looking around.

"Nep-Nep! Cameron! There's a huge monster over there…" Compa said weakly, pointing behind Cameron. Both of them turned, to see indeed that a ginormous monster was in fact behind them. It looked like sort of a half spider, half man thing wielding a humongous sword with one arm. But before any of them could do anything, the monster quickly reached out with its free arm and grabbed Compa by the waist, preventing her from moving.

"HELP! HELP ME! CAMERON! NEP-NEP!" she shouted, as the creature roared at her.

"Oh no, Compa! She's being *censored* and *censored*!" Neptune screamed, shielding her eyes. Cameron just glared at Neptune.

"No she's not! Now's not the time to crack a joke!" Cameron said, drawing his wooden sword. But he knew instantly this sword would do barely anything, if at all, to that creature.

"Oh come on! The readers need something fan-servicey to read. Ah well, time to get serious." Neptune said, pulling out her own sword. "Don't worry! I got this! Taaake this!" she shouted, rushing in and thrusting at the monster's torso, where the spider body turned into a sort of man.

 _Neptune's Attack_

 _Bam! Bam bam!_ went the sound of the wood hitting the creature.

 _No effect._

"What the?! Why didn't that work?! And who commented on my attack?" Neptune shouted in confusion.

" _I am sorry. I didn't want to surprise you, but I couldn't stop myself."_ said a very familiar voice.

"Wait, that voice sounds familiar… have we met?" Neptune called out. Cameron would have said to stop wasting time, but he had also heard the voice Neptune was talking about.

" _I am Histoire. I thought I explained this to you and Cameron when I was in your dream, Neptune."_ the voice said again. Suddenly, it clicked in Cameron and Neptune's mind.

"Oh right! Histoire! From that dream… wait, that was real?" Cameron said, looking around to see if Histoire was close by or something. Thankfully, the monster was a bit focused on Compa right now, as she was still trying to break free. The creature kept having to readjust its grip on her, distracting it.

"Um, Nep-Nep, Cameron? A little help here, pretty please?" Compa called out.

"Oh right, Compa! Ms. Heavenly Voice, can you help? We need to save Compa, but my strike is doing nothing!" Neptune called out.

" _I can't do anything, but if you use your Hard Drive Divinity, things should be okay."_ Histoire said. She seemed to be referring to Neptune exclusively.

"Hard Drive-what? I lost my memory, so do you mind taking it step-by-step?" Neptune said, completely lost.

" _I see… so that's why the conversation was all over the place last time…"_ Historie said, her voice becoming thoughtful.

"Um… if I use that Hard Drive-thingy, I can save Compa, right?" Neptune asked.

" _Well yes, but now I'm not sure if you can use your Hard Drive Divinity…"_ Histoire said, still thoughtful.

"Well, I'm Neptune! I'll go beyond the impossible and kick reason to the curb!" Neptune said indignantly. 'That's probably very true about Neptune…' Cameron thought, rolling his eyes.

"So please… lend me a hand! I want to save my friend!" Neptune said, for once her voice full of determination.

Histoire didn't say anything for a while. Then she spoke again, her voice sounding serious. " _...I will force run Hard-Drive-Divinity from you. Are you ready?"_

Neptune backed up, her face full of steely determination. "Ready and willing!"

Histoire then began a chant. For a second, it didn't make any sense.

Then she spoke normally. " _Neptune, may your power arise…"_

Suddenly, a column of white light engulfed Neptune, with what appeared to be streams of purple data lines running straight to the heavens. For a second, the light filled the whole cave.

Then the glow faded. And everyone saw what had changed in the light of power.

The only thing that came out of Cameron's mouth was this. "Oh my. What happened?"

 **And that's the end of chapter three! I'm SO sorry that this took so long to get out there. I've been distracted by my other story, plus the fact that I have to get the lines from the game, and then twist them to fit this story as I see fit. Don't worry, this story isn't dead. It's just been a rough start-up.**

 **Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this new chapter. What did you all think of it being in third person instead of the view of my OC? Let me know. It is easier to type this in third person, but I'd rather get opinions from my readers before permanently switching.**

 **As always, if there are any questions that you all might have, PM me and I'll do my best to answer them. Until next time guys, stay awesome.**


	4. The Goddess Rises

**Hello to you, my awesome readers out there! It's ButterHunter here, back with another chapter in my second story! I hope you all still enjoy this story, it's fun to find ways to shape the plot to make everything fit. Let's just hope that Nep doesn't try to interfere, eh?**

 **Anyway, let's just get back to the story!**

Chapter 4: The Goddess Rises

The great pillar of light subsided. Cameron, Compa (who was still trapped), and the monster stared at what the light left behind.

There stood what could be described as a much older version of Neptune. Her hair was much longer than before, now with two twin tails flowing behind her, and she seemed to had taken the body of a grown woman now. Her whole outfit had changed, now to a skin tight purple one piece that looked like only someone of high skill would wear. Neptune looked surprised at herself, assessing this new look.

Compa shouted out, "Nep-Nep! You're glowing!" Indeed, now Neptune had a faint glow surrounding her.

"Is this… really me?" Neptune asked, now with a voice of a mature, grown woman.

" _Yes. This is your true form, Neptune."_ Histoire told her, notably with a slightly more strained voice. The force run of Neptune's new form must have taken a lot out of her.

Neptune looked down at her hand, which was still glowing with energy. "This power… it's flowing from within me… there's no way I can lose with this!" She drew her sword, which had also changed to a new long and sturdy one made of metal. "Just wait, Compa! I'll save you now!"

Neptune rushed forward, leaving a rather dumbfounded Cameron behind. "Since… since when could she do that?" he asked himself, confused as all hell. But then the sound of Neptune fighting and shouting brought him back.

"Cameron! A little back up would be nice!" Compa shouted, trying to get attention back to her. Shaking his head, Cameron drew his sword and ran after Neptune again.

 _About two to three minutes later…_

With a defeated roar, the creature fell, taken back by the sheer force Neptune now had. Unfortunately, Compa was still stuck in the things fist, but with a little help from Cameron, she managed to pull herself out.

"Well, that should do it." Neptune said, sheathing her new sword.

"That was super Nep-Nep! You beat that monster in a flash!" Compa shouted, instantly hugging Neptune for saving her.

"Hey! Don't I get a hug for helping too?" Cameron shouted indignantly. Compa looked over, and saw him staring at her.

"Well… Nep-Nep did all the fancy sword play… all you did was watch. Even though you might not have been able to do much…" Compa mumbled, looking a tad embarrassed. She released Neptune, who was still checking out her new form.

Suddenly, with a bright glow of light, Neptune was again in engulfed in a bright flash of light. When it faded, Neptune was there, back to the way she normally was. "Whew… that was tiring…" she said with a gentle laugh. Her voice was back to normal as well.

" _Well done Neptune. And Compa, are you okay?"_ Histoire asked, sounding impressed with Neptune's quick work.

"Yessy! I'm okay! And it's all thanks to Nep-Nep!" Compa replied, before realizing she had just spoken to a voice that had no owner. "Um… Nep-Nep? Whose voice is this, and where is it coming from?"

"It's Ms. Heavenly Voice, AKA Histoir…" Neptune started, pausing. "What was it again?"

"Histoire!" Cameron and Histoire said at the same time. Histoire continued, " _You were off by only one letter…"_

"Ah, that's right! Histy-Histy!" Neptune called out, remembering.

" _You may call me Histy."_ Histoire replied, sounding like she kinda liked the nickname. " _Now, nice to meet you Compa. I am Histoire."_

Compa tried to silently say the name to herself, then gave up, asking, "Can I call you Histy, too? It's nice to meet… err, hear you, Histy."

Histoire probably said more, but at that moment, the monster that had just been lying on the ground now stirred, then rose, looking more pissed off now than before.

"IT'S ALIIIIIIVVVVEEEE!" Neptune and Compa screamed.

"RUUUUN!" Neptune cried out, turning around.

Cameron was one step ahead of them. He already had grabbed his friend's hands, and started sprinting, hoping to God that this was the way back to the surface.

 _About ten minutes later, back at Compa's home…_

"*huff* *huff* Finally… got… away…" Neptune managed, panting heavily. Compa and Cameron were no better.

"That… was close…" Compa gasped between pants.

"This… is why… I hate running…" Cameron mumbled. He looked the worst out of all of them, guess he wasn't much of a runner. He sat down, and clutched a stitch on his side.

" _I can't believe it was still alive after all the damage it took…"_ Histoire commented, sounding both thoughtful and scared. For a while, no one else spoke, they simply caught their breath.

"Hey, Histoire." Cameron asked, finally able to talk without the pant. "How are you talking to us? And why didn't you do it before?"

" _I'm talking to you through the piece you three found."_ Histoire told them. Cameron looked back at the broken metal in his hand. " _That is a Key Fragment. It's a piece needed to release me from my seal."_

"This thing?" Cameron asked, dubious. This little bit of scrap couldn't be something that… wait, seal?

"Your seal, Histy?" Neptune asked, confused.

" _Yes, and I ask of you, please release me. There's one Key Fragment in each Land."_ Histoire asked, and the trio couldn't help but notice a slight bit of desperation in her voice. She needed them.

"I could, but I have to fight monsters, right? Isn't that… well, dangerous?" Neptune asked. Before, those words would have never been on her mind, but now she seemed to want to be cautious.

Histoire saw no way to sugarcoat it. " _Yes. Your life will be in danger. But!"_ she continued, realizing Neptune was about to argue. " _If you help me, I can in turn help restore your memory. Yours too, Cameron."_

"Really!?" Cameron and Neptune asked at the same time, not daring to believe it.

" _Really, really. And besides, I do need you to get your memory back, Neptune. And Cameron… well, if you want it back, please help."_

"Of course I want it back, what are you talking about?" Cameron asked ludicrously. Of course he wanted his memories back. Why would Histoire talk like that?

Neptune looked daring and ready. "Well then! Let good old Neptune and co search far and wide for those fragments!"

Even Compa looked ready. "I'm helping too. After all, I can't leave Nep-Nep and Cameron alone with their brain losses.

"Memory loss, Compa…" Cameron corrected. "But are you sure that it's okay to be away from nursing school?" It was true, Compa was still a nurse in training. And she did know quite a lot, even though she was still in her teens.

 **(Sorry to but in here, but for the life of me I couldn't find Compa's age, or any of the characters ages for that matter. So please cut me some slack if I'm wrong. I'm just gonna say she's sixteen.)**

"It's closed because of the monsters, so I'm okay, I have time." she replied with a smile.

Histoire voice was becoming softer. " _Thank you…ve...ry...mu...ch…"_

"What was that?" Neptune said, talking a little louder. "I'm having trouble hearing you Histy. Is the static bad there?"

" _I...using...Fragment...I...ou...t...of...time…"_ Histoire said, getting more and more quiet. " _Pl...ease...lo...ok...for...Kay...Fragm…"_ was what she could finish before cutting out entirely.

Cameron shook the fragment in his hand, hoping that would get more out of Histy, but no dice. "I think I've lost contact. I hope Histoire is okay." he said, putting the fragment in a pocket he decide would be for important items.

"Well, we at least know how to get your memory back. Let's go, Nep-Nep!" Compa said, standing up.

"Hold up." Cameron said, holding his hand out in a 'stop' gesture. Compa looked at him in confusion. "Look at the time! It's almost dark. We should wait till tomorrow before going out again. Besides, I'm not sure we can outrun a giant monster a second time today. My legs are still sore."

The girls had a quick, silent argument over whether or not they should go. In the end, the trio did decide to rest for tomorrow. Whatever was going to happen, surely that didn't mean the three couldn't rest up. No sense in rushing. 'After all, we're under RPG time. That shit doesn't move forward until you get to the actual plot.' Cameron deduced to himself.

 _Later, at 6:30 pm…_

Neptune was off doing god know what. Cameron and Compa were sitting down in the main room, Compa messing around with her medical bag, and Cameron fiddling with everything that they had picked up from the monsters in the park.

"I seriously hope I can do something with this crap." Cameron said, pulling out random things like Doggo-Jelly and Petals. "Or I hope I don't have to worry about weight. That stuff gets on my nerves." **(Looking at you, Fallout.)**

Compa giggled. "Don't worry. Even if we can't use the stuff we find, I'm sure we can sell it for something." she said, grabbing some petals. An idea struck her, and she grabbed some string and a needle.

Cameron watched her the whole time, wondering what she could be doing. After a solid three minutes, Compa had strung together three rings of petals, all of which were every colorful. They even could be tightened or loosened. "Done! One for me, one for Nep-Nep, and one for you." she said, handing one of the rings to Cameron. She preceded to place hers as a arm band, on her left arm, where it would be easily visible.

Cameron didn't really know what to do with his. On one hand, he really didn't like jewelry or anything like that, because it sometimes got in the way. Plus, he was a guy, and naturally associated jewerly with girls. On the other hand, Compa made this for him, and that made it… special. Now, he felt as if he was an important character. Part of a friendship that would be impossible to break. With that thought, he slipped it onto his wrist, and tightened it.

"Thank you, Compa. This is neat." he said, and he actually meant it. For a while, it had felt like he was just getting pushed off, treated like a side character. But now, Compa was actually giving him some spotlight. And Neptune couldn't take it away, as she wasn't there.

"You're very welcome." Compa said, smiling at the compliment.

For a while, they didn't say anything else. Cameron continued to sort his stuff, only now, Compa moved over and helped him. Soon, almost everything was put back into his bag in an organized fashion.

Cameron was grabbing things and putting them in, but he wasn't looking where he was grabbing. Which is how he ended up grabbing Compa's hand by mistake.

"Oh! Um… sorry, Compa." he said, letting go. His face had a light blush in it, as did Compa's. For a bit, they looked at each other, embarrassed. Unfortunately, the awkward moment was made worse by Neptune, who came bounding back into the main room cheerfully.

"Hey guys, what's going on?" she asked, seeing Cameron and Compa sitting on the couch. Both of them looked a bit relieved when Neptune asked that, though they couldn't exactly explain why.

"Nothing, just organizing my bag." Cameron replied, stuffing the last items in and clipping the bag closed. Neptune nodded in understanding, before seeing the bracelet around his left wrist.

"Ooh, since when did you start like jewelry?" she teased, looking at the strand of petals. Cameron blushed, saying that he wore it because Compa made it for him.

"Ooooh! Compa made it for you?" Neptune said, grinning devilishly. Cameron realized he went too detailed. Now Neptune had the wrong idea.

"N-no Nep-Nep, it not like that, I just…" Compa started, also starting to blush. But that's when Neptune realized the second bracelet around Compa's arm, and decided to play it even thicker.

"Oh no! You have one too Compa? This proves it!" Neptune said, on a roll. The looks Cameron and Compa gave her… it was priceless.

"Neptune, listen, it's not like that, we just…" Cameron started, but Neptune interfered.

"Let me guess… even though you two don't want me to know…" Neptune said, enjoying this. Of course, she knew better. But once she realized that this was getting a big reaction out of them, she just knew she had to keep going.

The whole thing lasted a good ten minutes, and Cameron and Compa couldn't have let out a bigger sigh of relief when Neptune left the room, if only for a little while.

"Well then…" Cameron said, standing up. "I'm gonna… find something to do." he finished awkwardly. Compa nodded in understand, and Cameron left.

Unfortunately, he walked right into the room Neptune was in. She was happily humming something to herself, some theme some or another. The room was the rather spacious guest bedroom, with a large queen size bed in the corner.

Neptune saw him immediately, but she didn't look at him teasingly. Rather, in a… comforting way. "Hey, Cameron. Bored?"

"A little. Maybe waiting wasn't the best idea." he replied, entering the room fully and sitting down on the bed next to Neptune. For a while, the room was silent, as the two of them tried to think of something to talk about. Finally, Cameron gave up, sighing and flopping on his back.

"I hate this." he said quietly. Neptune heard him. Her first reaction was that he was talking about this very moment, being here. But then the more rational part (or as rational as you can get being Neptune) of her knew he was talking about something else.

"You hate what?" she probed, looking into his brown eyes.

"I hate…" he started, but paused, trying to get his thoughts in line. "I hate not having my memory. Maybe then I'd have something to say, something to talk about, something, ANYTHING. I'd be nicer than just sitting here, waiting for someone to start talking."

Neptune agreed. "Yeah, I guess it does suck not having them. But hey, we're going to get them back. I mean, otherwise, this story would be all for nothing, right?"

Cameron chuckled at that. "Yeah, guess you're right. Still, it'd be nice to have something to talk about." he said. Neptune realized that this had Cameron a bit upset. Then she got an idea.

"Hold on. I'll be right back…" she said, darting out of the room. Before Cameron even had time to wonder about what she was planning this time, she returned, with two bowls of pudding.

"Ta-da! Maybe this'll cheer you up." she said, handing him the chocolate one. Cameron did realize that he was still a bit hungry, even though they already had dinner.

"Heh. Only Neptune would run out to bring someone who is stressing out pudding." Cameron said, nevertheless taking a bite.

"Well, pudding is the best thing in the world." Neptune said, taking her own bite. For the next two minutes, they simply enjoyed their puddings.

After they finished, Cameron had to admit he did feel a little bit better. He didn't feel nearly as bad as before. "See? Pudding fixes all!" Neptune said.

"Hardly." he joked. "Man, that was good though."

Neptune simply continued to praise the gods for inventing pudding. After two more minutes, she stopped, and looked over at Cameron.

"Hey… Cameron?" she said. He looked over at Neptune, surprised to see a somewhat serious face on her. "I just wanted to let you know… it means a lot to me that you're here, trying to help. I mean, maybe me and Compa could do it alone, but you… you make it fun too."

Cameron was surprised to hear this coming out of Neptune. She wasn't exactly the serious type. "Well… thank you Neptune. That… that's nice of you to say."

Neptune smiled gently, a soft blush on her cheeks. "Well… I can't say anything bad about you."

They simply sat there for a while longer. If Neptune didn't know any better, she could almost feel something in the pit of her mind… like she wanted to give Cameron a hug.

Before she could even try to come up with an explanation for this, Compa walked in, saying, "Nep-Nep? Are you…"

She saw the two sitting down on the bed. "Oh, am I interrupting something?" she asked.

"No, I needed to do something anyway. Good chat Neptune." Cameron said, standing up and walking out. Neptune watched him leave, something stirring inside of her.

"Nep-Nep?" Compa asked, waving a hand in front of Neptune face. She snapped back.

"Oh, sorry Compa. You wanted me for something?" Neptune asked. Compa looked out the door, seeing that Cameron was out of earshot.

"Well… we seem to have a slight problem. I can't find the cot downstairs. I know I had it somewhere." Compa said, a blush forming on her face.

"So? What's wrong with that?" Neptune asked.

"Don't you realize? That means Cameron has nowhere to sleep." Compa said, looking out again. The bathroom door was closed, so she assumed he was in there.

"Well, what about the couch? Give him some blankets and…" Neptune started, but was immediately interrupted by Compa.

"No, he can't sleep there. The couch is okay to sit on, but sleeping on it is a whole other thing. The one time I did, I woke up with back pain. You know what this means?" Compa said.

"Umm… he can't sleep tonight?" Neptune said. "So, he'll just have to be a security guard, watching for the monsters of night!"

"No, Nep-Nep. It means we're going to have to double up. One of us has to sleep with him." Compa said, her blush on full blast by now. This time, Neptune finally understood, realizing the problem as well, blush coming to her face as well. An awkward silence filled the room, as both girls tried to decide how they were going to do this.

"W-well… maybe we should tell him first… I mean… we don't want to dump all that pressure on him right before he has to sleep." Nep suggested. Compa didn't like it, but she knew it was probably the best course of action.

After three more minutes, the toilet flushed, and Cameron stepped out, wondering what he should do now. That's when Compa called out, "Cameron! If you're done, can you come here?"

He walked over to the bedroom, and saw the two of them in there, but something was up. They both had deep blushes on their faces. 'I got a bad feeling about this…' he thought.

"Yes Compa? You called me?" he said, wondering how bad it was.

"Well, umm… see… I know I put away the cot, but I can't find it right now… so that means… um… oh god this so much harder to say… that…" Compa said, unable to get the words out. That's when Neptune joined in.

"See, that means… well, you have to share a bed with one of us…" she said, her voice starting strong but by the end becoming barely more than a whisper. But Cameron still heard it all loud and clear. His mind started twisting all kinds of bad things that would happen… there had to be a way out of this.

"I-I-I'll just sleep on the couch…" he said, before listening to what Compa had to say about that. "T-then I'll just sleep on the floor…" he tried, but not getting anywhere again. "T-then… um…"

"Face it Cameron. Just pick which one of us you're bunking with, and get it over with." Neptune said, still with a blush, but her tone was one of almost a command.

Cameron knew instantly there was no getting out of this one. He had to pick. 'The question is, who do I pick? And what will the other feel about it…' he asked himself, coming up with a fat load of nothing. On one hand, Neptune seemed a bit more… comfortable with him, more relaxed. Compa, on the other hand, was very nice, and… maybe he could talk a little bit more with her before bed. There was also the fact that… well, no point beating around the bush, that Compa was more… endowed, than Neptune. He made sure to keep that one to himself, or else he deserved to get slapped.

"I… how do you expect me to choose to something like that?!" Cameron asked, blushing deep red still.

"Urgh… this is getting us nowhere…" Neptune said, trying to think.

"Yeah…" Compa agreed, still with heavy blush. It may have just been Cameron's imagination, but he swore he could hear the smallest amount of sadness in her voice.

It was at that point that Neptune actually found an idea. It was… well, different, but still, it could work. She shared it with the other two. At first, Cameron and Compa looked ludicrously at Neptune for her idea. Then, slowly, Compa warmed up to it.

"It might work… but Cameron…" Compa said, looking at him. Two pairs of eyes watched Cameron, close to breaking into a nervous sweat, as he sighed, removed his glasses, and wiped off a smudge on them.

Then he spoke.

"Fine, but one night only."

 _Time skip to 10:00 pm…_

There they were, fast asleep. Well, two of them were at least. Neptune and Compa, both in PJ's, gently snored next to a wide awake Cameron. 'How did I let myself get talked into this…' he thought to himself. True, they all agreed this was going to be a one night thing, but still, he couldn't shake the little voice in the head that was making it impossible to fall asleep.

"Ugghh… I'm not gonna get much sleep tonight, am I?" he said quietly to himself. He glanced over at the other two's faces. They had long lost the blush once they fell into dreamland. Now they looked… peaceful. He was glad at least they managed to pass out. _Him_ falling asleep was a completely different story.

Even though he lost his memory, he was fairly sure he never had fallen asleep with a girl. But now, _two_ girls were right next to him. This somehow managed to make him happy, despite the fact that those two unconsciously grabbed one of his arms each.

"Well… maybe this isn't so bad." he told himself. After all, it was just a night. Tomorrow, they had all day to find a place for all of them to sleep.

Finally, after what must have been almost half an hour since he got in bed, he slowly closed his eyes, and after a while, managed to fall into a nice, dreamless sleep.

 _Time skip to 8:30 am…_

"Mmm…" Cameron complained. The sun was too bright. It was forcing him to wake up. But he still wanted more sleep…

'Wait. It's morning?'

Slowly, he opened his eyes. Morning sun slowly filled the room, signaling the start of a new day. Cameron couldn't believe it. He actually managed to fall asleep.

Then he realized that the girls were still fast asleep next to him. Not wanting to wake them, he slipped out of the bed, which took a while as he had to break his arms out of their grips, and got dressed in the same clothes he wore yesterday. They were the only thing he had to wear right now. 'Note to self: stop at clothing store soon.'

Afterward, he quietly wandered the apartment again, wondering what he should do. The girls probably wouldn't wake up for some time, and he didn't really have anything interesting in his bag to look at.

So, making a mental note to tell Compa later, he pulled a random book off the shelf and read the title. " _Gamindustri: The Four Lands."_ Why not?

Cameron sat down on the couch, flipping through the book, until he stopped at a page that seemed interesting. It told him mostly about the place he was in, Gamindustri. It was separated into four lands, Planeptune, Lastation, Lowee, and Leanbox. 'Hmm… Why does Planeptune feel… out of place?' he asked himself. Nevertheless, he read on.

While the book showed no pictures of them, it did say who the goddesses that ruled over them were. Ladies Purple, Black, White, and Green Heart all ruled over their own Land. 'Makes sense. Four lands, four goddesses.' Cameron reasoned.

At that moment, he heard sound coming from the bedroom. Closing the book and setting it down, he walked over and peeked in. Compa looked like she was waking up. Slowly, her eyes opened, and she sat up, stretching with a yawn.

"Hmm…" she hummed, thinking about something. Perhaps about a nice dream she had? Whatever it was, it gave her a light smile.

She looked over at the bed, and saw Neptune still sleeping soundly. That's when she remembered the deal last night. Her face grew a bit red. "Where… did he go?" she asked herself.

"Oh me? I got out of bed a few paragraphs ago." Cameron responded, opening the door all the way. This caused the blush on Compa's face to grow even bigger.

"Oh! Cameron! Um…" she started, at a loss for words. Cameron had to admit she was cute with the way she was acting. Even more so by the blush.

"Sooo… you've been up for a while?" Compa asked. Cameron nodded.

"I haven't ate anything yet, I was waiting for you two." he added. At that precise moment, Neptune chose to get up. Very loudly.

"YAY! MORNING!" she practically shouted, sitting up. The result that she started Compa to where she almost fell off the bed. Cameron on the other hand, wasn't fazed in the slightest.

"Nice try, Neptune. If a haunted puppet doesn't scare me, then a girl in footie pajamas isn't going to." he said, still leaning in the doorway.

"Dang it!" Neptune said under her breath, still loud enough to hear though. "Oh well, I'll try some other time…"

"Nep-Nep…" Compa said, trying to control her breathing.

"Oh yeah… sorry Compa." Neptune apologized, patting her friend's back.

After about another hour of morning rituals, eating breakfast, brushing teeth, all that stuff, the trio was ready to head out.

"Hey Cameron? You think maybe we should go shopping for the trip?" Compa asked him.

"Yeah, we might need some things. I'm just glad I have money to spend." he replied, pulling out his money pouch. If he had counted them right last night, then he and the girls had collected about almost two hundred tokens last night. Not a bad start.

"Ooh, shopping?" Neptune said, overhearing the two. "Then can we get lots of pudding? I need my travel food!"

Cameron sighed. "Neptune, is pudding the only thing that makes you happy?"

Neptune chose not to answer him. "Anyway, if we are going shopping, then I'll follow like colorful miniature alien fairies!"

Soon afterward, the three once again left for the city. They walked about, stopping at quite a lot of stores. Thankfully, one had plenty of health items, which Cameron bought twenty without hesitation. "That last thing I want is for all of us to walk into a dungeon and find out we have no healing items." he told the girls as they stared at the pile of health packs.

By the end of their shopping spree, their money bags were much lighter than what they started with, but Cameron had bought new outfits, items, and most importantly, a new sword. This one was stone. 'Heh. Wonder if they got one of diamond lying around. I wouldn't be surprised.' he thought to himself.

Neptune had bought several things. Some instant pudding, new clothes for later, and a new sword as well. Compa didn't buy much, but she did get a few new outfits and some spare heath packs herself.

Afterward, the three stopped walking for a while, choosing to take a break for lunch when they saw it was about midday.

"Now that I had a good chance to look, this is a really huge city!" Neptune said, over her bowl of, what else, pudding. Cameron agreed with her statement.

"Planeptune is the most advanced out of all the four Lands." Compa told them.

"I can see why. Just by looking at all of the interesting people around here, you can tell this is a very high tech city." Cameron said. Indeed, people of all kinds were walking around, some looking very detailed, others looking slightly less developed. Once or twice, he swore he saw a man made out of nothing but blocky pixels. Then another time, someone who looked like they jumped out of a horror game was holding up a sign that read, "Seeking treatment, please help Before Dawn."

While they were eating, Cameron couldn't help but overheard two men behind him. He didn't look back, because he knew they would most likely be faceless.

"Hey, did you hear about that rumor? Word is, there's a new undiscovered cave under the forest." one man said.

"Yeah, I heard that. Wasn't it also filled with monsters?" the second man asked.

"Must be a breeding place or something. Sounds kinda cool actually… anyway, I also heard the Guild is looking for people to check that out right now." the first man said.

"Really? Shouldn't the goddess have dealt with that? Why do we have to?" the second man complained.

"Huh. Thank you plot-convent people." Cameron said, looking back up at the girls. They also had been listening.

"Should we help? I mean, even klutzy old me wants to help the goddess." Compa asked in somewhat of a whisper.

"I'm in. After all, we have the tools to do so now. And plus maybe if we do this, the goddess with give us good fortune." Cameron said, without a shadow of a doubt.

"Mmhm! I want to help too!" Neptune agreed, scarfing down the rest of her pudding. Compa looked hopefully at them.

"Really? Both of you do?" she asked.

"Of course. After all, you helped us and did what we wanted, so now it's our turn." Neptune said. Cameron nodded at that.

"Well then, let's finish up and get going."

 **And there we go. That took a bit longer than I thought it would. Hope you all like the references I put. Plenty more where those came from.**

 **Also I just want to be clear, any references I put in are not me making fun of them. I put them them in to make the story a bit more interesting. If I don't like a particular game or something, then it just wouldn't be put in or anything.**

 **I really appreciate you taking your time to read my story! I can't wait to see your guys reactions and stuff for all the random thing I put in this story. Then again, it's a Neptune story. Things are never sane.**

 **As always, if you all have any questions for me, leave me a PM and I'll try to answer them. This is ButterHunter signing out, and until next time readers, stay awesome.**


	5. New Friends, New Enemies

**Hello all of you awesome readers! It's ButterHunter here, back with another chapter! When we last left off, Cameron, Neptune and Compa were going to head over to a place called the Guild so they could help out exploring the new cave under the forest.**

 **Still hoping you all like this story and how it's going down. Anyway, let's jump back in!**

Chapter 5: New Friends, New Enemies

 **Disclaimer: I don't own any part of HyperDimension Neptunia. Only my OC.**

After a bit of walking, our heroes made it to the Guild. It was a big building, almost as tall as the other skyscrapers around it. Stepping inside, the main lobby was a maze of monitors, desks, and hologram screens. Several receptionists were behind the main desk, at the far end of the room.

"So, this is the Guild?" Neptune asked Compa.

"Yes. Anyone can come here to do some work and missions here." Compa replied.

Neptune busied herself with one of the monitors, which had a sign that said "Missions and Quests" above it. "Let's see… cave… cave… aha! Found it!" she said, clicking on it. Compa took over from there, typing something in. After a few minutes, a form had been filled out for three new Guild members.

"So now that we're members, we enter the order like so annnnd… done!" Compa said, showing the other two. On the screen was the description of what the mission was and what they had to do. Below that was the simple, click to accept button.

"You're used to this, are you?" Cameron asked, impressed she had typed everything so fast. "Did you use the Guild often?"

"Sort of. I mostly came here to do some volunteering and things. Actually doing one of the missions for them is a first." Compa admitted.

Neptune looked fired up. "Well then, let's make this dungeon expedition a success!" she said, before clicking on where it said "Accept".

" _Bing! Quest accepted! Please return here when you are finished."_ Those words appeared on the computer, then returned to the regular login screen.

 _About ten minutes of walking to the dungeon later…_

Finally, the trio reached the newly found entrance to the cave. They entered, the cool air and shiny crystals all too familiar. About two minutes in, however, Neptune looked a bit confused.

"Hey, Compa? What are we supposed to be doing again?" she asked. Compa looked a bit shaken at that.

"Nep-Nep… you didn't read the fine print, did you?" Compa said.

"Are you kidding? No one reads the fine print! Never had, never will!" was Nep's reply. Cameron looked the slightest bit peeved off, but he couldn't get mad because he assumed the other two already had read it and knew what they were getting into.

"That's not something to brag about." Compa replied, thankfully pulling out her phone. Tapping on it, she quickly read something, and reported back, saying, "Seems like we have to check on the monsters. What they're doing, etcetera."

Suddenly, an unpleasant thought crossed Cameron's mind. "Speaking of which… isn't that huge monster from yesterday still here? I mean… it's out there somewhere, right?"

But Compa didn't see too worried. "A lot of other people came here already, so I'm sure it found somewhere else to go."

"Whew, that's good. I never want to see that thing again." Neptune said, sighing with relief.

"I don't either, but still, we should stay on our guards." Cameron said, looking around nervously. Still, all he could see was a few small monsters that weren't there before.

They continued forward, pass numerous crystals. Monsters tried to fight them, but they all fell easily. As an added bonus, they dropped more tokens, or credits as Cameron learned, so they were sure to fight all the monsters they saw.

Two more levels later, they were about halfway into the cave when, suddenly, the light the crystals gave off seemed to get darker. Neptune couldn't help but comment on this. "Its getting darker the deeper we get…"

"Nep-Nep? Cameron? Are you there? It's so dark… I can't see either of you." Compa's slightly higher voice sounded.

"I'm right here. Don't worry." Cameron said, finding Compa. She looked a bit relieved, but she wanted to know where Neptune was.

"Nep-Nep? Are you still there?" she called out. Neptune's voice responded a bit further to the right.

"Oh, Compa, it can't be that bad. Still… it could be dangerous, so… follow my voice. And be careful." she said, the sound of her footsteps stopping for a moment.

Cameron and Compa both started moving toward Neptune, but suddenly, something ahead sounded. Like two somethings crashed into each other.

"Nep-Nep? Are you okay? If you fall into a pit, it's game over…" Compa called out, worried.

"I think something ran into _me_ …" Neptune replied back, sounding a bit surprised.

Suddenly, the lights fully came back, as if they had been shut off for just a few seconds. When the trio adjusted, they saw, on the ground next to Neptune, another girl, rubbing her head.

"Ow… watch it, girl!" the new girl said, a bit peeved. She wore a black tank top that looked more like a one piece than anything, all of which was under a giant blue coat. A unbuckled belt hung around the jacket, and clipped onto it was a giant mess of cell phones. Her hair was light brown, with several bangs on her face, some framed her face, and the rest was more or less all in a giant ponytail, clipped with a green leaf hair piece.

"Hold on…" the new girl said, seeing the other two approaching. "What are kids like you doing here?"

"Kids?!" Cameron and Neptune said at the same time.

"Speak for yourself! You're a kid too!" Neptune yelled at her, definitely a bit angry. "Who are you?!"

"I'm IF. Let's just say I'm the Wind Walker of Gamindustri!" the new girl replied, standing up.

The three friends just stared at this new girl. All of them were a bit dumbfounded. "Ah… huh?" IF asked, not sure what was going on.

"You're the Wild Talker of Gamindustri?" Neptune asked, a bit dubious. Cameron immediately face palmed.

"Wind Walker." IF corrected, not looking too upset. "I travel the world, making a living working with the Guild. But enough about me, what are you three doing out here?"

"We came from the Guild too. Oh, and I'm Neptune, she's Compa, and the tall guy is Cameron." Neptune introduced.

"Sure, poke fun at the tall one." Cameron sighed to himself, before saying, "Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too! I'm Compa." Compa said.

IF looked a bit confused. "You've gotta be kidding me. You three are working for the Guild as well? Him, I can understand, but you girls?"

Neptune was definitely getting annoyed at this new girl. "Ah, sure, nice to meet you too… well anyway, we can handle ourselves, you know!"

IF looked doubtful. "Really? Even with all the monsters roaming around here?"

Suddenly, Neptune looked a lot more nervous, but not because of what IF said. "Don't tell me. You didn't look at the fine print before taking the work, didn't you?" IF asked, sounding like she had met other people who did that to.

But now all Compa and Cameron also were looking directly behind IF, their faces becoming white. "No… that can be. IF… don't… move." Cameron said, staying perfectly still.

It didn't work. IF turned around, only to be staring right at the monster from yesterday. It seemed to be looking around, trying to find Neptune, Compa, and Cameron. It roared in frustration, sending IF stumbling backwards in fear.

"NOT AGAIN!" Neptune and Compa shouted out. The shouts alerted the monster, making it move faster. It still hadn't seen them yet though.

"W-w-what should we do, Compa?! It's gotta be looking for me!" Neptune said, fearfully dancing on the spot.

"What?! You three know what that thing is?!" IF asked, shocked.

"Yes!" Cameron said. Briefly, he talked about how they barely managed to get away from that thing yesterday. He only left out the bit of Neptune transforming. For some reason, he felt compelled to leave it out. Thankfully, Neptune didn't question him for it.

"Wh-what should I do?! It gotta be looking for revengenace…" Neptune said, freaking out.

"Great. You know she's scared when she started making up words…" Cameron said, none the less also panicking a little.

IF sighed, reaching a conclusion. "Hard to believe, but if you all can fight, then I'm going to need you three to help me."

Compa nodded, looking ready. "Nep-Nep, we have to beat up Mr. Monster! For Planeptune's sake!"

Neptune finally calmed down. Now see looked ready as well. "Okay then! I'll just go super-mode from start then!"

And just like that, Neptune became engulfed in the bright column of light again. When it faded, the older version of Nep stood at the ready, sword already drawn. "Hah… I'm ready now."

IF looked completely taken back. "Wha?! Wait, what just happened?! You're like, huge! Like all over!" she said, waving her arms at Neptune's new self.

"Surprise! Nep-Nep can change forms! Nep-Nep is really strong like this." Compa said, unable to suppress the smile forming on her face.

Even Cameron was grinning. "It's nice having OP friends."

"Well, now do you believe me that I beat that monster before?" Neptune asked, cockiness in her voice at the flabbergasted IF.

"Do I even have a choice? It's harder not to believe now." IF said, trying her best to recompose herself. Just then, the monster finally noticed the four talking. It quickly started moving toward them, eyes staring directly at Neptune.

"So, want to get it on, do you?" Neptune asked the monster, in a dead serious tone. "Well the feelings are mutual. I'm going to have to take you down before you cause any more casualties!"

 _IF has been added to the party!_

 _Battle start._

The giant beast stood before the four, menacingly holding it sword. Unfortunately, it moved first. It swiped at Neptune, but the attack barely fazed her. Her defense had grown drastically from the transformation, and barely anything would hurt her now.

IF moved now. Quickly, she got behind the monster and chained a few attacks at it. It didn't do much, but that's when Cameron noticed something. It was almost as if he could see a faint blue energy off of the monster. He realized that it was something every monster they had fought had. 'It's.. a guard!'

"Compa! Neptune! IF! Break it's guard!" Cameron said, rushing the creature and using the butt of his sword to smack the thing. Thankfully, the new stone sword he had bought actually did damage to the creature. The faint blue light was getting weaker…

Compa moved in now, but instead of shooting her syringe, she slapped the creature several times. When the last blow hit, the blue light flickered, and died. By now the creature had lost only a fourth of it's HP.

"Neptune! Now!" Cameron called out. Instantly, Neptune used one of her favorite attacks, Cross Combo. Suddenly, the monster looked like it was taking much more damage than before. So much so, that when Neptune was finished with her attack, the thing was almost dead.

But now, it had a different target. It honed in on Cameron, swinging twice. He dodged the first swing and barely missed the second. But Cameron was about to get cocky, when he saw the monster had two attack turns. The creature lashed out with a giant punch.

Now, keep in mind, Cameron had been punched before this, but not with a fist twice the size of his head. Not only that, but this whack just so happened to be a critical. The blow caused Cameron to fly backwards, right into the stone wall behind him. He didn't pass out, but he was hurting badly. Cameron had maybe two hundred health. "*gasp* *pant*... ow… that smarts…" he said, barely able to stand.

That sent Neptune in a frenzy. "HOW DARE YOU TRY TO HURT HIM!" she screamed, before rushing in with another Cross Combo. But these strikes had a lot more anger than before. There were at least four criticals in the series of strikes. It didn't stand a chance.

With one last roar, the creature finally fell, and disappeared, unable to continue after being defeated twice now. The battle was over.

"Hah… hah… we won…" Cameron panted, a giant gash on his arm and part of his shoulder. Neptune and Compa immediately rushed over to him, worried.

"Cameron!" Compa said, looking at the gash. But she kept fumbling with the bandages. Cameron wasn't feeling very good…

Thankfully, after five minutes, Compa had cleaned and dressed the wound, thick gauze covering most of his left upper arm. After using a couple of healing packs, Cameron almost felt normal, but still, he could almost still feel the punch, and crashing into the wall…

"Are you okay?" Neptune asked, a hand on his shoulder. Cameron looked up, to see her entire face full of concern, and for good reason.

"I'll live." he replied, standing up. Neptune still looked worried, but she let it go for now.

"Well, to be fair, that was an unfair match. It was injured after all" Neptune said, returning to IF. IF had been watching the girls patch up Cameron. She was worried, of course, but she didn't want to dwell on it too much.

"Not bad. Honestly, I'm not sure I could've taken it on myself. Thanks." IF said, impressed.

"Not your fault. I was the one who let it go in the first place." Neptune said.

"That's not entirely true. Remember? It LOOKED like it was dead on the ground." Cameron reminded her.

"Still…" IF said. "That's some transformation. You're like a completely different person.

"I was surprised when I first saw it too." Compa admitted. Cameron agreed.

In a flash, Neptune called off the HDD. Now she was back to her normal self. "Phew… I'm beat…" she said, looking exhausted. HDD must take a lot out of her.

"Nice fight Nep-Nep! You were super cool out there!" Compa said joyfully.

"Heh. Please, stop flattering me." Neptune said, obviously not used to getting complimented like that.

IF was still thinking. "Really, it's hard to see you as the same person."

"Oh yeah, Iffy! How about joining our party while we're at it?" Neptune said, looking hopeful.

IF seemed a bit taken back. "Iffy? Me? Iffy?" she asked, confused.

"Yep! IF = Iffy!" Neptune explained. "It sounds a lot cuter too, don't you think?"

"Iffy…" IF said to herself, thinking a little.

"Oh wait… do you not like it? Were you teased by other kids with that name or something?" Neptune asked, seeing the changing expression on IF's face.

"No, I was never teased by my name or anything." IF said, a bit snappy. She continued with a much softer tone, "Just call me anything you want."

"Iffy it is then!" Compa said, happy.

"I'll just stick with IF. At the rate we're going, there's going to be too many nicknames to count." Cameron said, rolling his eyes at the last bit.

"Now then," Neptune said, suddenly putting on a fake serious voice. "Do you want to come with us Iffy? Having a pro like you would be cool!"

IF thought about it for a second. "Well… eh, why not. The more the merrier, I guess."

"Yay!" Neptune said, hugging IF. "I hope we can become bestest of friends Iffy!"

After a minute of getting Neptune off of her, she replied, "Yeah. Looking forward to it." Soon after the group started heading deeper into the cave.

Before long, Compa and IF were further ahead, talking about something. Neptune and Cameron were straggling in the back. Neptune noticed Cameron was still getting used to the gauze under his arm.

"Does it still hurt?" she asked.

"Not too bad, just a little twinge every now and then." Cameron replied. Then he noticed the worried expression Neptune was giving him. She really did worry about his well-being.

"Hey. Don't worry Neptune. It's fine. Besides, the cut is on my left arm. If it were my right, then we'd start having problems." he said, trying to calm her down.

Neptune still looked a bit guilty. "Still… if I had been a little stronger, then we would have had to worry about it…" she said.

"Stop that. No one likes a protagonist that falls to pieces simply because someone in the party gets hurt. There's already too many games and other fan fics about that." Cameron said, his voice a little sharp.

"But it's true." Neptune said. Cameron sighed, and then stopped walking for a second, getting his thoughts together.

"Look." he said, glancing at Compa and IF. They weren't going very fast, but he still felt that he should make this quick. "I know you feel guilty about me getting almost destroyed back there. But we can't dwell on that. What happened happened, and we can't reset the time three days or something to change it."

"What we CAN do, is get going and get stronger. Do you think I liked getting blasted into the wall behind me? I'm upset at myself too, but I'm not going to break down because of it. I'm going to buff myself up, and make sure that I can and will be able to take a hit next time." he said.

Neptune looked a little bit in awe. Here she was, feeling guilty for her weakness, and yet Cameron felt the same about himself. "You're… you're right. Besides, I don't want to be the emo person of the group." Neptune said, sounding determined.

"That's more like it. Now come on, we're losing the other two." Cameron said, pointing at Compa and IF, now pretty far away. Wasting no time, Neptune grabbed Cameron's good arm and ran, dragging him away. "HEY! No pulling!"

 _About five minutes later…_

The group soon decided to take a short break on one of the bridges. Everyone was getting a bit tired from all the fighting, especially Cameron. It was amazing he still was willing to fight after getting bandaged up.

Anyway, Neptune spoke up. "Well, now that I've had a good chance to look around, this place is huge."

"We're lucky we didn't get lost running around earlier." Compa agreed.

"Okay, so, you three said you came here before, yes?" IF questioned. "Mind filling me in with some details?"

"Guess we do owe that much." Cameron said, nodding. Neptune began speaking.

"Well, see…"

 _One boring conversation later…_

"...and, that's that!" Neptune said, looking proud. The other three, however, were looking a bit confused.

"Nep falls, loses memory, Histoire, Key Fragments… that's all so random." IF said.

"Agreed. Neptune lost me, and I had everything already in my head." Cameron said.

"Eh heh heh… well, shoot, thanks." Neptune said, looking a bit awkward.

"I don't think she was praising you, Nep-Nep…" Compa said, patting Neptune's arm.

"Ah well, maybe we should get back to work. Time's a-wasting" Cameron said, standing up and stretching. The girls followed his example, and together they left. Only this time, now IF and Neptune were further ahead, and Cameron and Compa were walking slower in the back.

"Are you sure you'll be okay Cameron? I mean, that was a strong hit…" Compa asked. Cameron noticed her face was one of deep concern.

'Why… why does she look so cute like that?' he asked himself, but found no answers, not yet at least.

"Of course I'll be fine. I'm the protagonist after all. The author can't have me die." Cameron responded, patting Compa on the head.

"Cameron, please… there's a time and a place for fourth wall jokes." Compa said. "And now's not the time."

"Sorry, couldn't resist." Cameron apologized. "But in all seriousness, I'll be fine. This is exactly why I bought plenty of healing packs and other things. Don't worry about me."

"But I do. I can't help it." Compa said, still with concern. Cameron understood.

"Listen." he said, standing still for a moment. "I'll be fine. I'm a lot tougher than I look, Compa. You don't have to worry about me." he told her, placing his hands on her shoulders.

"I-I-I mean…" Compa stuttered out, trying to think of something to say.

"Don't worry. We'll all get out of this. I promise. But right now, you have to believe that I'm fine, because I am fine. Worrying about me won't get you anywhere." Cameron said.

Compa looked at his face, and saw that he really meant what he said. He was determined. But if she and Neptune kept on looking at him like he was about to die, then the group would get nowhere.

"Yessy… I know. But… still, I'm staying by your side. Just to make sure you really WILL be okay." she said, a smile forming on her face.

"That's the happy Compa I know. Now come on, we better catch up." Cameron said, turning back to the other two, who looked like they were arguing about something.

Compa found herself staring at Cameron, but not out of worry. Out of… confusion. What was this new feeling in her chest? Was this always there?

She decided to talk about it Cameron and Nep later. Right now, the mission was to keep exploring this dungeon.

 _A good ten minutes later…_

"Hey, Iffy?" Neptune started. "What's this? I picked it up, but…"

IF looked at what Neptune had found. "It looks like a disc… Nep, where did you pick that up from?"

"Wait hold on. I noticed just now, but is Nep… me?" Neptune asked.

"You named me Iffy, so why not?" IF said quickly. "Going back, where'd you get the disc from?"

"I dunno. It was hanging on that wall over there." Nep said, pointing behind them.

"Hang on the wall? This disc?" IF asked, dubious. "You're not pulling my leg, are you?"

"Yeah, even I have a hard time seeing that." Cameron said.

"What?! Not you two Cameron! Iffy, you really don't believe me? After all that we've been through too…" Neptune said, miffed.

"It hasn't even been thirty minutes since she came with us, Neptune." Cameron reminded her. He knew that because he had checked his watch just before IF was found.

"You're both so horrible, not believing in Nep-Nep." Compa scolded.

Back with Neptune, she was still going on about IF. "I know your name makes you question everything, but show me some love here!"

"That's not what my name means." IF restored, clearly thinking that this conversation was becoming more and more pointless by the second. "Besides, like Cameron said, we only met a short while ago."

"Iffy…" Neptune said, giving IF a… strange look. Her purple eyes were open wide, and now were filled with sparkling stars or something. Cameron instantly looked away, not because it was ugly, but because he knew enough anime to know that that's a look you only give to get people to do what you want.

Unfortunately, IF didn't react in time. Sighing, she simply gave up. "Okay, okay, I got it. You win. I believe you."

Neptune was rather joyful. "Now that's my Iffy! "Iffy has got to stand for "I Feel For You!" Now that's love!"

Compa had a suggestion. "How about we call you "AI" instead? That's Japanese for "Love"!"

"Why not spell it in lowercase, like "ai"? It's much more cute like that." Neptune said. If Cameron hadn't been there, those two probably would've kept going on about IF's nickname for hours. As it was, even he had a limit.

"Okay, that's enough random exposition people! We're running way off track here, and the author's getting bored of tying this nonsense." Cameron interjected.

"Aww, but Cameron! Look! Iffy, are you blushing, or are you blushing?" Neptune teased, with a very… Neptune-y face on. One that can only be described as, "The Neptune Troll Face."

 **(I'm not joking by the way. Look up 'Neptune Troll Face, and it's the first thing that pops up on Google.)**

But before the dialouge could get anymore off track, suddenly, the disc still in Neptune's hand shone brightly for no apparent reason. "Wha-?! The disc… it's shining!"

Compa was getting worried. "What's going on, Iffy?!"

"How should I know?! I've never seen anything like this before, either!" IF retorted.

"I've got a bad feeling about this…" Cameron said, hand creeping to his sword.

Suddenly, a the disc flashed with a blinding white light. And that's when a roar was heard. Out of the disc, appeared…

"A monster?! It came from the disc?!" IF shouted, pulling out her blades. Compa, Neptune and Cameron also pulled out their weapons, just before the monster, and some others that also spawned from the disc, attacked.

 _About three minutes of fighting later…_

"Well…" Neptune said, sheathing her weapon with a surprised look on her face. "That was a surprise. You should've told us that monster came from discs."

"How should I have known?" IF asked indignantly. "No one knows where the monsters come fro…" she said, before stopping.

"Umm… IF? Something the matter?" Cameron asked.

"Yeah, cat got your tongue?" Neptune also asked.

"So that's where the monsters come from… this is amazing!" IF suddenly said. She and Compa looked ecstatic.

"Yessy! I think that this is a super discovery!" Compa said, bouncing a little on the spot.

But suddenly, the good mood died. With a very different voice.

"Ahahahahahahahahaha!"

"I came here for my Guardian, but I didn't expect to see you here, Neptune!" the new voice said.

"Who's there?" Neptune said, looking around. No one was in sight. "What's with that old, melodramatic laugh…?"

Suddenly, from out of the shadows, a new person appeared. "Who are you calling old?!" this new woman shouted. Her skin was a pale white in color, as well as her hair. She wore… a very strange outfit. A large hat with an ugly purple hair piece adorned her head. The rest of her outfit looked almost like one a gothic witch would wear, black with traces of purple. Her blood red eye were fixed right at Neptune.

"Mocking people as usual. You've not changed a bit." the newcomer continued.

"Nep-Nep? Is this a friend of yours?" Compa asked in a bit of a whisper.

"Of course not. I don't know any old lady wearing this much goth makeup." Neptune replied, not troubling to lower her voice.

Compa looked relieved. "That's good to hear. I was about to doubt your choice of people."

"Yeah, if you were friends with her, I would've put in my resignation." IF said.

"No kidding. I feel sorry for whoever really is her friend. Must be a one sided sort of thing." Cameron said, trying very hard to not bust up laughing.

Neptune picked back up the conversation now. "Soooooo, who are you, Missus?" she said, in her best mocking voice.

"How dare you! Saying what you want in front of me…" the woman said, sounding VERY pissed off now. "I'll just get rid of you all!"

"Look what you've done, Nep. Now you made the lady mad." IF said, sighing.

"Wait, it's my fault now?!" Neptune said indignantly.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, the lady pulled out an enormous metal spear, bigger than herself. Quickly, the four heroes pulled out their weapons and stood at the ready.

And then… with a quick strike, suddenly the woman moved forward and hit IF so hard, she lost all of her HP. "W-What…" she got out, before fainting on the ground.

"WHAT?!" Cameron shouted, totally lost. This woman was more overleveled than they were? Insanity!

He rushed forward, and swung...

But he missed. So he swung again. Miss.

And one more time. He hit, but it did barely any damage. "W-what?" he stuttered out.

Neptune and Compa both took their turns attacking, but they barely left a scratch on the woman. The old lady rushed forward again, and now Compa fell down, after only one strike.

"What is this?" Cameron said, backing up to Neptune.

"I don't know, but I'm not very happy!" Neptune said, very angry indeed. In a flash, now Neptune was in HDD. She ran forward and tried a Cross Combo. Again, barely any damage was taken still, even with Neptune's increased stats.

Cameron tried again to attack, but he landed no good hits. The evil lady turned her sights on him, since he was closest. With a swift strike, he fell to his knees, getting out, "What… is… this… bullshit…" before collapsing to the floor.

Again, now Neptune was sent into a blind rage. "CAMERON!" she screamed, again rushing forward with a Cross Combo again. Still, the woman dodged every swipe.

"And the best for last…" the woman said cockly, before striking down Neptune with one more jab. Even Nep's boost did nothing to stop all of her HP from draining.

"But… I'm the… main character…" Nep said, losing her HDD instantly and collapsing to the floor.

The first battle… the party had lost.

The evil woman…

...had won.

 **Well…**

 **I think that's a good place to leave the chapter off. Right on that massive cliffhanger. You're very welcome.**

 **Anyway guys and gals, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! This was a good choice to start this story. I'm loving fitting my own character into the completely random world of Neptunia. This is going to be a fun series to type.**

 **Oh, you thought it was over? No way! The story is only beginning! This was just a point that the plot needed. It's exactly how the game rolls as well. With a bullshit cheat boss.**

 **As always, if you readers have any questions, PM me and I'll do my best to answer them. Until next time guys, stay awesome.**


	6. Saw That One Coming

**What is up all of you awesome readers out there! It's ButterHunter here, back with another chapter to my Neptunia story!**

 **When we last left off, a mysterious woman appeared from nowhere, and proceeded to have our four heroes get completely rekt. Probably with the help of haxs or something. (Sorry, gamer talk.)**

 **So let's just jump right back in!**

Chapter 6: Saw That One Coming...

After two minutes, Neptune suddenly was able to stand up. Her head was swimming and she ached everywhere.

"H-Hey! This lady is too strong for being an early stage boss! I call cheat!" Neptune said, shakily standing back up. The other three were also slowly getting back up, but they were hurting as well.

"The damage that popped up against us was too large…" Compa said, patching herself up a little with some health packs she had brought.

"Tch… looks like you can't judge a book by it's cover." IF said. Perhaps it was all the work that she had done before, but she looked the best out of all of the group, damage wise.

"Urgh… what kind of hacks is this? And how did someone like you get them?" Cameron said, applying a health pack to himself.

"Hmph." the witch lady huffed mockingly. "You're all scum to me. Go ahead, cry and weep like the losers you are."

Slowly, she made her way to Cameron. "Now then… the Key Fragment. I'll have that back now."

"Over my dead…" Cameron started, but was interrupted by a kick to the gut. Writhing in pain, he couldn't do anything as the witch took his bag and found the little piece of metal.

"No fair! We went through a lot just to get that! Give it back!" Neptune said angrily. She started running at the witch lady, sword in hand.

"SILENCE!" the lady said, step siding Neptune's swing, and retaliating with a loud slap.

 _SMACK!_

"Owch!" Neptune said, falling on the ground.

"Nep-Nep!" Compa yelled.

"Now, the time has finally come. I'll take your power, Neptune!" the gothic witch said. She held out her hand, and purple light shone from it. Neptune wasn't going to get away in time…

"Hahahahaha! Finally! The first step to my ambition has finally begun!" the lady said, joyful. Neptune stood, but the light was about to hit her…

"NEPTUNE!" Cameron shouted. Suddenly, Neptune was sent sliding off to the side, out of harm's way. When she looked up, Compa was standing right where she had been, shaking as if she was getting electrocuted.

"Compa!" Neptune shouted, but just after she said that, the light faded. Compa stood there, but she… looked okay?

"W-what?!" the lady said, taken by surprise. But… her voice had changed.

"Compa! Are you okay?!" Neptune said fearfully.

"Umm… huh? I'm… okay?" Compa said, confused. She didn't feel any different, other than a slight tingling running through her body.

"What… what was that? Nothing happened…" Cameron asked, confused as well.

"How… dare you get in the way… of my Nep-Nep!" the lady said angrily.

Everyone stopped there for a second in confusion. "Wait… Nep-Nep?" IF asked.

But the lady wasn't listening. "Once more! I'll make Nep-Nep's power my own!"

Once again, the purple light shone from the witch's hand, aimed right at Neptune. "Waaaaaah?!" she screamed, running. The light hit the wall where she had been, doing nothing.

"Hey, you! Stop running around and just get hit!" the lady said, becoming more and more frustrated.

IF was getting worried. "She sounds like Compa… Nep! She's trying to absorb your power!"

"No problem!" Neptune said, ducking under a ball of light. I'm good at shooting games. I'll just have to barrel roll!"

"Tch! It's that girl's fault!" the lady said, annoyed.

"Nep! Compa! Cameron! It looks like she took Compa's power! Now's our chance!" IF said, grabbing her blades again.

"Tch… damn it!" the lady said.

"Hey, you! We're even now!" Neptune said, going HDD. Adult Neptune stood, weapon at the ready. "I won't let this chance and you get away!"

The four heroes stood at the ready, now more confident they could take this lady on. They all had time to patch themselves up, so they were at full everything.

Once again, the lady moved first, but when she hit Neptune, her strike was much lower than before. "HA! No more bullshit hacks for you!" Cameron shouted, gleeful.

IF moved forward, and she swung. The lady still managed to dodge a lot of the strikes, but some did hit. And they actually looked like they did something. Cameron ran forward and started swinging. Soon, the guard of the lady was down.

"Neptune! Go!" he shouted, backing up. Neptune rushed in with a Cross Combo. But even with her greater stats, the woman still held her ground fairly well.

Soon, the lady took a strike at IF. It hit hard, and she almost fell. Neptune hadn't gotten too badly hurt, but IF didn't have nearly as well defense as Neptune in her HDD form.

The battle lasted a good ten minutes, involving lots of swinging, cursing, and some healing from Compa several times over. But sure enough, after a while, the lady fell, defeated. Finally.

The four were very tired, but they still had work to do. "I'll take that." Neptune said, taking the stolen Fragment back, and tossing it to Cameron.

"Urgh… Neptune…" the lady said, seemingly back to normal, only very weak, unable to attack.

"I hate to ask this, but do you know me?" Neptune said, curious.

"Of… of course I do!" the lady said, becoming smug again. "I know you like the palm of my hand!"

"Then tell me this: who am I?" Nep asked.

"What are you talking about? Are you dizzy or something?" the woman asked. Clearly this was a new revelation for her.

"Nep-Nep and Cameron lost their memories. If you know anything about them, can you tell us?" Compa said fiercely, looking ready to fight again if she had to.

"Ha… haha… hahahahahah! You? Neptune? Lose your memory? This is golden!" the woman laughed, looking joyful. "I was worried when I lost sight of you, but I see that luck is on my side!"

"What the hell are you going on about?" Cameron asked angrily. But the woman had no intention of explaining herself.

"I'll let you hold onto the Key Fragment for now. Until next time!" the lady said.

"Wait!" Neptune said, but it was too late. In a flash of light, the woman disappeared.

"She's… gone?" Cameron said, looking around. No sign on the lady was around.

"She got away… who was that?" IF said thoughtfully. "It seemed like she was going after you, Nep."

"I don't know… if only I could speak with Histy…" Neptune said softly.

"Nep-Nep…" Compa said sadly.

"Well… before we think further, let's figure this out first." IF said, pointing at the ground. The disc from before was still sitting there, looking innocent enough, but the party knew better.

"The disc that the monster came from?" Cameron asked, watching IF walk to it.

"For now… yeah." she said, breaking it in half under her foot. Seemed like the logical thing to do when trying to stop the monsters from spawning.

"Well… we've done all that we could here. How about we head out and take a rest?" IF suggested. Everyone wholeheartedly agreed.

 _About thirty minutes later…_

Soon, the four were back in Compa's apartment, gladly relaxing after all that they had been through today. "I couldn't have imagined the monsters coming from discs." IF said.

"Yes, that was a surprise. But now the monsters won't be coming out anymore." Compa said happily. "If we beat all the other monsters, everything will be back to normal again."

"So, about this disc…" Cameron said, turning the broken half he took with him over in his hand. "How about we simply call it the 'Enemy Disc?'"

"Enemy Disc…" Compa said, sounding a little worried.

"Your right. As long as these are around, we're going to keep getting monsters." IF agreed.

"That's not good…" Compa said, looking very nervous now.

"Don't worry Compa. We'll plan against the monsters with what we know now." IF reassured.

Neptune didn't seem to interested in the conversation. She was more busy with her bowl. "Mmm! Pudding after work really hits the spot! Um, you got more Compa?"

"*sigh* Neptune…" Cameron said, a little annoyed. The other two also starred at Neptune.

"Hm? What's the matter? Why so serious?" Neptune asked.

"Ugh… are you kidding…?" IF said indignantly.

"Um, Iffy? Nep-Nep gets tired after she changes, so can you let it go?" Compa said.

IF sighed. "If you say so Compa. I'll let go… this time." she added. "Getting back on subject, I'm more interested in that lady. Who was she?"

"It looked like she was collecting the Key Fragments." Compa said, remembering.

"I don't like the sound of that…" Cameron said, taking out and analyzing the Fragment he had again.

"Me neither. Sounds like we better act quick before she gets any of them." Neptune said, for once at least trying to be serious.

"We'll go tomorrow." Cameron said. When the other three looked at him questioningly, he replied. "Do we really want to go anywhere like this? We nearly got destroyed in that cave, remember?"

"True…" Compa said thoughtfully.

"Well then, Iffy? Want to come along?" Neptune asked. "We'll have fun together, and it'll be safer too!"

"Sure, why not?" IF said, shrugging.

"Are you sure?" Cameron asked.

"Yeah, not like I have an agenda or anything. Plus, I'm not sure it's the best idea to let you three go on by yourselves. Cameron can only tolerate so much, I'm sure." IF said, earning a small glare from Neptune. Cameron agreed, though he knew better than to outright say it.

"Well then, we should get ready for tomorrow then." Compa said, standing up. "I need to go buy some things."

"I'll come with." Cameron said. "There was some things I wanted to check out in the city."

"Thank you. Either of you two need anything while we're gone?" Compa asked.

"Pudding!" Neptune said instantly. Cameron rolled his eyes.

"I'll be fine. Thank you." IF said.

Soon after, Cameron and Compa left the apartment and headed into the city. They found themselves walking through some very thick crowds at one point.

"Cameron?" Compa called out, losing him to the crowds for a second. "Where are you?"

"Here. Sorry, some weird floaty star was asking where there Mama was. Pulled me to the side." Cameron said quickly, rushing over to Compa

"I hate these crowds… always getting in the way." Compa said, looking around. From the building those two were standing next to, an enormous crowd of people were rushing to and fro. It was almost impossible to not get separated.

"Here. Take my hand. That way we won't get lost again." Cameron said, holding his hand out. Compa started to blush a little.

"H-holding… hands…" she said, a little weakly.

"Do you really want to lose me again?" Cameron said, slowly slipping his hand into Compa's. "Come on, where are we going?"

It took a second for Compa to get her bearings. "Umm… that shop over there. The one with the red roof."

The two started heading that way. Compa couldn't help but think about Cameron next to her. The way who he was so… forward, she guessed was the word. Add in the fact that he was protective of his friends, and that he cared enough to help out… he really was a nice person.

'Mmm… why is he so… so nice? I mean...' she started thinking to herself, but lost her train of thought. 'I guess it doesn't matter. Maybe he's just naturally a nice person.'

People were jostling the two left and right. Once, Compa almost fell over after tripping over someone's leg, but Cameron caught her.

"Whoa! You alright?" he asked. Compa nodded, blushing a little at how close he was.

"Alright, let's keep going. The shop's not to far away." he said, leading the way. Only… he held her a little more firmly, a little closer to her.

Finally, they arrived at the shop, where it was thankfully empty save for a few people. Cameron and Compa looked around at everything, getting a few odds and ends that they needed. Cameron grabbed a few more health packs, and he bought a new weapon, a portable arm cannon, just in case he needed it. What he found cool about it was when he didn't need it at the time, it collapsed somehow into a nifty little ring around his wrist. He even was able to customize it a little, turning it and the blasts it fired into his favorite color: red.

"Never know when you need to take something on at a distance." he told Compa, who was getting an upgrade to her syringe to make it a little stronger.

After the two left, they were pleased to see that the crowds had thinned a little bit, so at least the walk was manageable.

Cameron started to look around, but then Compa gently grabbed his hand. "I… I don't want you to get lost." she said, embarrassed.

For a second, Cameron didn't know what to do, but he soon accepted it, squeezing her hand. "If you say so."

For the next hour, those two walked to store after store, grabbing plenty of food and trinkets for the trip. And everywhere they went, people could see that they still held hands throughout the entire shopping spree.

Finally, they returned to the apartment, money bags very lighter than they had started with, but laden with several bags of new stuff each. All they had to do was organize it into bags, and they would be ready.

"We're back!" Compa called out, setting her bags on the table in the kitchen. Neptune came running from out of nowhere.

"Ah-ah-ah. One pudding for tonight." Cameron said sternly, when Neptune tried to take the whole bag of about twenty puddings Cameron had bought.

"Aww, come on!" Neptune said sadly. Cameron took the bag back and put it in the fridge. "That's not fair!"

"Yes, it is. If we let you eat all the pudding, you'll just beg for more. I'm not gonna spend a fortune just so that you can keep eating pudding all day." Cameron replied. Neptune still looked sadly at him. "A little help here Compa?"

"He's right Neptune. One last pudding today. You already had five others earlier." Compa said, putting food away.

Neptune wasn't very happy at that, but she soon got over it. She and IF, who came over moments later, continued to put away everything. They were only sidetracked once, when Neptune found some small accessories Compa had bought along with everything else.

"What? Even I want to look more cute every now and then." Compa said, when IF and Neptune gave her a look. "Plus, it helps my stats." she added.

"Too bad there weren't many things for guys there." Cameron said under his breath. Maybe they would get more stock soon enough.

After a few more minutes, everything was all sorted into Cameron's bag, and all the food was put away in the fridge. Compa would be in charge of having another bag, that one for all the food and such.

Soon, Cameron found himself reading from one of the many books he had bought that day. It was a very interesting read, and he would've read more… if not for Neptune.

Neptune entered the guest bedroom, and saw him intently focused on reading his book. "Cameron?" she asked, but he didn't hear her. An grin slowly spread across her face, as she walked to him. Without warning, her arm lashed out and she poked his nose. Hard.

"Ow!" Cameron said, nearly jumping up in surprise. "Wha… Neptune!"

Neptune rolled on the floor, busting a gut. "Got you! That was too perfect! Hahahahaha!"

"Ha ha ha. Very funny." Cameron said, peeved. "Couldn't you have just called my name or something?"

"I tried." Neptune said, pulling herself together. "You didn't respond, so I decided to try that. And it worked." she added, the grin forming even more on her face.

"Grr…" Cameron growled, standing up. "Next time, wave your hand in front of my face. Don't resort to simply poking me in sensitive areas."

Neptune didn't try to follow him. She simply watched him leave with a goofy grin on her face. But then… something clicked inside her. She... she felt bad. Guilty. 'But… all I did was poke his nose. Why do I feel so guilty?' she thought to herself, but came up with no answers. Something was happening inside her, yet she had no idea what it was… it struck randomly, and seemed to have no rhyme or reason for happening.

She decided to go and talk to Compa about this. Whatever was happening in her, this stirring in her chest, Compa would surely know about it. She was a nurse after all.

Neptune soon found Compa sitting down on her little balcony, toward the back of the apartment. Compa was sitting down on a small bench, big enough for about three people at best. "Hey, Compa?" Neptune said, knocking softly on the wall next to her.

Compa looked up. "Oh, what is it Nep-Nep?" Compa asked with a small smile.

"I… I need to talk to you." Neptune said, fully stepping out onto the balcony. Compa patted the bench next to her, and Nep sat down slowly.

"What's the matter Nep-Nep?" Compa asked again.

"Well… that's the problem. I don't know what it is. Lately… there's this feeling in my chest. I don't know what it is, but… it's very strange." Neptune started awkwardly.

"Really? Describe it." Compa said, sounding curious.

"Well… it's like… a warm feeling deep down in me. It… feels good, but also really weird. And even weirder… it only happens randomly." Neptune explained. Compa blinked in surprise.

"Nep-Nep… I've been feeling that as well." Compa admitted. Neptune looked very surprised at this.

"Wait… what?" she asked.

"Well… several times today, there's just been… a small stirring in my chest. A warm, happy feeling, but also really strange. I don't really remember feeling like this before, or if I have, it's been a very long time." Compa said, remembering the feeling from earlier in both the cave several times and while shopping.

"So… we both have this same feeling inside us?" Neptune asked, getting a little confused. "What… what does it mean?"

"Hmm… let's think." Compa said slowly. "Let's try to remember at least two times when it happened. We can work from there."

"Okay, ummm…" Neptune started, casting her mind around. "Oh! There was one time when yesterday, back at the forest, I was walking with Cameron and he cracked a small joke. The feeling struck me, only it was so faint I almost missed it."

"Umm… I felt it earlier today. Cameron and I were talking about his arm, and he said he'd be fine as long as I stopped worrying about him, at least for the time being." Compa said, slowly remembering.

"Ahh… oh! After the time when that giant monster punched Cameron and sent him flying. The feeling in my chest really hit me hard that time." Neptune said quickly.

"And… when I was shopping with Cameron earlier, he took my hand to keep me from getting lost in the crowds. I was so flustered…" Compa said, blushing a little from the memory of what happened.

"Wait… all of those times involved Cameron in some way, shape or form." Neptune remembered. "So… is he like, changing us or something? He's already changing the plot line of a story about a game that's also a remake."

 **(Man… this is some Inception stuff right here.)**

"Hmm… why is it around him the only time this stuff happens…" Compa wondered aloud. The two quickly tried to think about what was it that made Cameron special. Was it the way he looked, the way he spoke, the way he acted… what was it?

"Hmm… huh?!" Neptune said, suddenly half-shouting a little. "I… I feel it again! That warm, tingling feeling…"

"I… I do too…" Compa said, putting a hand to her heart, softly panting a little. "Did… did you remember what you were thinking about that made this feeling happen?"

"Umm… I think it had something to do with Cameron as a person. You know, the way he acts, looks, stuff like that." Neptune said, blushing a little from thinking about this stuff. What made him so special? What was it…

Then, out of nowhere, the puzzle pieces slammed down altogether in Compa's mind. If she had been standing up, she would've fallen over in shock and surprise. As it was, her legs became extremely shaky, and her face started blushing very hard again.

"What?! Do you know what it is?! Is it some sort of life-threatening disease?" Neptune asked, concerned for her friend's sudden reaction.

"N-N-Nep-Nep…" Compa said slowly, almost trying to deny the facts in her mind.

"What? Say it!" Neptune said, quickly becoming rather impatient. Compa looked over at Neptune, and Neptune saw… fear. Confusion. Embarrassment.

"Nep-Nep…" Compa began slowly. She took a deep breath… and then said her thoughts.

"We… we love Cameron."

 **(And that's the end of the chapter! I hope you all enjo- hold up. *looks up word count again* Oh shit… I still have another two thousand or so words to type! YAAY! No cliffhanger! Obvious plot point is obvious!)**

Those words… at first, Neptune didn't fully grasp the full meaning of them, but soon… they fully sunk in. When they did, now Neptune also started blushing hard and got really confused.

"Woah woah woah! You mean… the love trope? Already? It's, what, Chapter 6 of this story, and already the love trope hits us? Are you absolutely sure Compa?!" Nep said frantically.

"Y-yes… I'm almost positive. Think about it." Compa said slowly. "He's very nice to us, he's funny sometimes, he's a good person. And he's strong too."

"B-but… we love him? That's a little extreme, no?" Neptune asked, sweating a little in surprise. But deep down… her heart told her that this was true. Cameron… she did like him. Be it his normally calm attitude, or simply because he was a very friendly face, Neptune couldn't deny it: she liked him.

There was only one thing wrong with this picture: Compa liked him as well. She herself had admitted it. And slowly, Compa seemed to realize this as well.

"Should… I mean… should we tell him?" Compa asked slowly, not sure whether or not they should or not.

"I mean… he'd eventually find out one way or another. He's not the typical dense protagonist. I hope not at least…" Neptune said, breaking eye contact to look out at the slowly sinking sun. There was still plenty of time until the next day.

"So… should I get him?" Compa asked, starting to stand up. But Neptune made it to the door first.

Instead of going inside to find him though, she simply called out, "Cameron! Can you come out here for a second?"

Neptune sat back down, now more embarrassed than ever. "Well… here goes." Nep said nervously.

A few more seconds passed, and Nep started to think that he hadn't heard her. But then the screen door opened up, and Cameron poked his head out. "Someone called for me?" he asked the two.

"Y-yes… come out here. Sit for a second." Compa said, her and Neptune scooting over so he could see in between them.

Cameron instantly realized that this was something serious again. Why else would they be getting all quiet like that? Those two were almost NEVER quiet.

He nevertheless sat down next to the two of them. The blushes on their faces… they looked so goddamn cute. Maybe… maybe now would be a good time to talk to them. About… something he realized a while back.

But knowing that they have called him over first, he decided it would be polite to let them say what they wanted to say first.

"Sooo… what did you call me out here for?" he asked, looking left and right at the two. They traded one last glance at each other, most likely having a silent conversation.

"Umm… well… we've just been talking, Cameron…" Compa awkwardly started. The blush on her face was on full blast, but she didn't dare look away from Cameron.

"Y-yeah… and, while we were talking…" Neptune supported, her face also uncharacteristically bright red. "We… learned something."

"You… learned something?" Cameron said slowly. His heart was starting to beat faster. 'Could… could it be?' he dared to think.

"Y-yes…" Compa continued. "A-and… we have to tell you."

"O-okay…" he said, looking back and forth between the two.

"W-well… actually…" Neptune started, her face even more red. "I-I think… I'd be better to show you want it is…"

Before Cameron could fully process that and what it always means, suddenly Neptune wrapped her arms around him and, still blushing very heavily, gently kissed him. There was a look of pure surprise on his face. He kinda saw that coming, but at the same time it still hit him like a train. A bright blush surrounded his face.

He was very tense for the count of five. Then, his shoulders slowly relaxed. For at least ten seconds they kissed, both of their faces deep red.

Then Compa's voice spoke up.

"Wha- Nep-Nep! I thought we would tell him about it first and let him decide!" she said, even more red.

Neptune pulled away. Cameron's mind was blue screening from the kiss Neptune just gave him.

"S-sorry! I… I couldn't help it!" she said quickly, still blushing heavily. In the heat of the moment, she couldn't hold herself back long enough. How could she hold something like this in?

"K… kiss… kissed…" Cameron mumbled out.

"W-well then…" Compa said, an idea striking her. "I-in that case… I want to as well!" she said, before pulling a still dazed Cameron into her own kiss. Again, Cameron's eyes instantly went wide, as the the shock of getting kissed again hit him like a train.

Ten more seconds passed, and Compa pulled away from him, blushing so hard. Cameron was barely thinking right now. "K… kissed… t-twice…" he managed to get out. He still was blue-screening hard right now.

"Oh great… he crashed." Neptune said, gently slapping Cameron on the back a few times. That was the reboot he called for. He shook his head, getting his bearings back together.

He tried to saying something to the girls. ANYTHING. But he didn't know what to say. Beside, Neptune and Compa were shooting some dirty looks at each other.

"H-hey! Why'd you do that?" Neptune said furiously.

"You started it! You kissed him without his knowledge!" Compa retorted.

"Well, he obviously liked MY kiss better, thank you very much."

"What? He liked mine much more!"

"Girls…" Cameron tried to intervene. but the girls didn't hear him at first. They only continued arguing with each other about who had given Cameron the better kiss.

After two more minutes, he had had enough. These two were best friends. No way something like this should be getting this drawn out like a bow. He stamped his foot on the ground roughly, glad that the sound of it was very loud. "That's enough!" he shouted at the same time, causing both girls to quickly become silent.

"Now, tell me. When did this all start? Liking me, I mean." he asked, his voice becoming normal again. Neptune and Compa were startled. He hadn't raised his voice like that at them before.

They explained when it all started happening, everything that they found out. Meanwhile the sun still slowly set in the background, slowly approaching night. By the time those two finished almost ten minutes later, the sun was touching the horizon.

"So… that's when. Because… you were so nice and caring of us…" Compa said softly.

"We… we couldn't help it. We… we both love you Cameron. But… who do you love?" Neptune asked.

For a brief second, Cameron almost started to panic, almost saying something like, "How do you expect me to answer something like that?!"

Then, his mind went into auto-pilot. Slowly, his arms wrapped around both of them. They were surprised, by they didn't pull away.

"I…" he started, knowing that this probably was going to take a lot of explaining. Nevertheless, he took a deep breath… and spoke.

"I like… both of you."

All was quiet for the count of ten. Cameron's eyes were closed, ready for the tidal wave of voices coming at him.

"W-w-w-what? Y-you… love us b-both?" Neptune said with a stuttering voice.

"Y...Yes… I do." he said again.

Neptune and Compa didn't know what to say. What should they say?

"I… I shouldn't have said that." Cameron said, suddenly standing up. "I'm gonna go."

"No no!" said the voices of both Neptune and Compa said at the same time. They grabbed an arm each, and held him in place.

"Don't go!" Neptune said quickly. "We… we can't let you!"

"Never!" Compa agreed. "Please, don't go!"

Cameron looked at both of their faces. They were pleading for him to not go. He… he couldn't say no.

Slowly, he sighed and sat back down. "So… what does this mean for us?" he asked.

"I… I mean…" Neptune started nervously. "As… as long as I still get some time with you… I'd be… willing to share."

"M… me too." Compa said, not wanted to say much else.

Cameron looked back and forth, from the sweet, innocent Compa to the random, quirky Neptune. His heart wouldn't stop beating so fast. He…

He did love them. But… a harem? Would… that even work?

"If… if you two are willing… to work this out…" Cameron started, closing his eyes. Both of them looked at him on baited breath. "Then… I'd be happy… to be with you girls…"

Slowly, the worried looks on Neptune and Compa's faces melted.

"C-Cameron…" they said slowly.

And then Neptune couldn't hold herself back. She pulled him back over to her and kissed him. At least this time his mind didn't go blank. He actually started enjoying it. And when Neptune released him, in comes Compa, kissing him again.

For the longest time, there wasn't much being said between the three, other than the brief 'I love you'. They mostly left the talking to their eyes.

Finally, when the sun was halfway sunk into the horizon, the trio went back inside, to do last minute things.

Twenty minutes later, Cameron was in the bathroom, trying to debate with himself about whether or not he made a good choice. He now was… dating two girls. At the same time. And they were okay with it. Was… was that alright? And… what would happen when IF found out? No way they could keep this hidden.

'W-well… I mean, the author should know all about harems. I mean… his Youtube history…'

 **(0_0 Excuse me for a second. I need to get my phone… and done! You read nothing! *pumps a shotgun* Remember! You. Read. NOTHING.)**

'But still… is this going to work? And… you know what? I'll just stop worrying for now. I'll worry when I absolutely have to.' he thought to himself.

And so, he cast his doubts, his fear, and his confusion off to the side. He could go any time and think about them whenever he wanted. But right now… all he wanted was to relax, and move on with life for a while.

 _Time skip to 11:00 pm…_

Cameron was laying on his back, trying once again to fall asleep. He could hear the gentle snoring of Compa and Neptune very close by.

Which wasn't saying much, as they were right next to him.

Now that… well, those two learned Cameron did like them, they knew that they wanted to sleep next to him. Especially because when they did it last night, they realized that they all had gotten the best sleep they had had in ages.

Their faces were right next to his, and he found it impossible to decide which one was more cute. Compa's innocent little face, or Neptune's funny-in-a-cute-way one. Both of them were snuggled up right next to him, close enough to kiss his cheek if they moved a little more.

"Geez… again, how the hell did I get so goddamn lucky?" he asked himself quietly. But it didn't go unnoticed. Compa slowly fluttered her eyes open, hearing Cameron speak.

"C...Cameron?" she said softly, as to not wake up Neptune.

"Oh… sorry Compa. Go back to sleep. Just talking to myself." Cameron said softly, patting Compa on the head.

"Oh… okay." she said. "But… not before I do this."

And she softly kissed his cheek. "Good night Cameron. I… I love you."

And hugging his arm, she quickly fell into a deep slumber. Cameron meanwhile was blushing a little. "Compa…"

But he realized that he spoke a little too loudly. Neptune stirred, and now her eyes slowly fluttered open.

"Oh no… sorry Neptune. Did I wake you?" Cameron asked softly.

"Yeah… but it's okay." Neptune said just as softly. "Why haven't you fallen asleep?"

"Well… I don't know. Sometimes it's just hard to fall asleep." he admitted. Neptune thought about that, before a small smile came to her face.

"Well… here's something for sweet dreams." she said, before kissing his other cheek. "Night Cameron… I love you."

And just like Compa, she hugged his arm and fell quickly into a deep sleep. Cameron was still blushing pretty hard, but hey, like Neptune said, he would have some good memories to fall asleep to.

Finally, after ten minutes of relaxing, his eyes shut, and he drifted off into a calm, dreamless sleep.

Tomorrow, the adventure of a life-time would truly start. One filled with many things.

Action.

Friends.

Romance.

Danger.

And a hell of a lot of anime cliches, video game references, and other things.

And now… Cameron had two amazingly cute girls to be at his side for… the whole trip.

Who could ask for more than that?

 **And that's the end of chapter six! I'm SO SORRY that it took so long to get this chapter out! I've been procrastinating quite a lot lately. Mostly because I have school and stuff to also worry about.**

 **But now, I'm gonna set a deadline for myself. When I upload this, I want to have chapter seven and eight out… in no less than two weeks. Let's see if I can keep that promise.**

 **As always, if you guys have any questions, be sure to PM me, and I'll do my best to answer them. Until next time guys, stay awesome.**


	7. Lastation, Here We Come!

**Hello all of you awesome readers out there! It's ButterHunter here, back once again to bring you another HyperDimension chapter! I still really hope that you all are enjoying how everything is going down.**

 **Anyway, without further adieu, let's get back into it.**

Chapter 7: Lastation, Here We Come!

 _Time skip to 11:00 am the next day…_

The four friends were finally out today, ready to start their mission. From what Histoire had told Cameron, Neptune, and Compa, there was a Key Fragment in each of the four Lands. So if they wanted to get going, they had to hurry over to a new Land.

"So… Lastation, Lowee, or Leanbox…" Cameron recapped. "I'm starting to see why Planeptune doesn't start with L."

"No kidding. That would just be plain weird." Neptune agreed. "But in all seriousness, which one do we go to first? We have no idea of knowing which way that old hag will go…"

"Nep-Nep is right. We should discuss this along the way." Compa said thoughtfully.

"Right!" Cameron said enthusiastically. "Umm, so… which way are we going, exactly?"

Three pairs of eyes turned to look at IF, who was casually clipping one of her cellphones back onto her belt. "Wait… I thought you guys knew where you were going. I've actually only been out of Planeptune once before this." she said.

"Um, how would we know?" Neptune said, pointing at herself and Cameron.

"Sorry, but I've barely been outside of the city few times before this. Only when I was in some classes was when I went outside the city. I know about it, just not where it is." Compa admitted.

"Oh for the love of…" IF said angrily. "Hold on…"

She pulled out one of her her cellphones again, this time the pink one. She slowly searched around, until she found something. "Says here that we have to find a building called… the 'Planeptower'." she read off her phone.

"Okay… then where is that?" Cameron asked. IF started to tap away on her phone, until something happened.

"Argh! Come on you piece of crap!" she said angrily, before turning it off. "Sorry guys. My long-range internet connection is on the fritz right now. Let's just ask around. Someone has to know where that building is."

"Alright, ah… how about we split up for a bit. Neptune and I will search here, you and Compa will ask a bit further back from where we came from. We'll meet up back at that little cafe in ten minutes. Everyone good with that?" Cameron said quickly.

Everyone agreed, though Compa looked a little bummed about not getting to be with Cameron. "I'll team up with you the next time we split up." he whispered to Compa just before they split.

The time slowly ticked away as Cameron and Neptune asked random people if they could help them. But five minutes had passed, and every person they stopped either was too busy to help, or didn't know about the building.

"Come on, come on…" Cameron muttered to himself, looking around. It was at that moment that his eye caught someone.

A very small girl was sort of bouncing along the street. Literally bouncing, as she was riding on… some weird, ball thing. She was a light brunette, with dusty yellow-brown eyes. Her hair was quite long, reaching almost down her entire body, and it was wrapped up into two large pigtails, tied with some small bells. She also wore a school uniform of some sort, a white top, red bow, a green skirt, and black flats with green socks. But none of that is what caught Cameron's eye. What did, was that the girl had a cat ears hat on top of her head, as well as a yellow cat tail around her backside.

"Neptune? You see the girl I see, yes?" Cameron asked Neptune.

"Yepper. Maybe she knows something." Neptune replied, starting to walk over. Cameron followed after her quickly.

The girl was just minding her own business. She looked pretty happy.

"*sigh* It's a nice and warm day again, nyu." Cameron overheard her say. "A nice cup of bitter hot tea would hit the spot, nyu."

Neptune politely tapped the small girl on the shoulder. "Hello… um, can we ask you something?" she asked nicely.

"What, nyu? Is there something you need from Broccoli, nyu?" the girl said in the cutest way. Cameron felt like he had just OD'd on sugar.

"Oh, your name is Broccoli?" Neptune asked, receiving a nod. "You're so cute that I want to call you something like 'Puchiko'."

"It's 'Broccoli,' not 'Puchiko,' nyu." Broccoli said bluntly.

"Let's not split pears, okay?" Neptune said, earning weird looks from both Broccoli and Cameron. "What?"

"You're terrible at listening, nyu." Broccoli said even more bluntly. Cameron knew that if they wanted to get anywhere, then he had to step up.

"Anyway, we're getting off topic. Puc- err, Broccoli. Sorry, she got me confused again. How do we get to Planeptower? We're supposed to meet up with some friends there, but we don't know where it is." Cameron said.

At least Broccoli's face lit up again when Cameron at least admitted he screwed up. "Well, that's easy, nyu. Just head down that road over there and you'll see a sign for it, nyu." she said politely.

Has Cameron mentioned how cute she was when she talked? He had to go now, or else all his blood would probably turn to sugar in a second. "Great. Thank you Broccoli. You're a lifesaver." he said, before turning to start walking.

Neptune followed close behind, calling out, "Sweet! Thank you! We've gotta run now, bye-bye!"

Broccoli was thinking a bit. Those people had been… well, a little weird to be sure. But then again, barely ANYONE in this city was normal. The man… she was sure she had never seen him before, but the girl…

"Hmm… I feel like I've met that girl before, nyu…" Broccoli said to herself. "Let me think a bit, nyu…"

"..."

"..."

 **(Don't… don't hurt yourself Broccoli.)**

"Oh right! that was Nep, nyu!"

 _About ten minutes later…_

After meeting back up with Compa and IF, the four headed down the path Broccoli had pointed them down. Sure enough, a sign that they couldn't have missed even if they tried was ahead of them.

Soon enough, the city disappeared behind the four, leaving them in front of a large building. Beyond the building was a massive gorge. "Oohh kayyy… tell me again how were supposed to get from one Land to another?" Cameron said, looking at the thankfully sturdy fence on the edge of the land.

Neptune wasn't paying too much attention to him though. She was much more interested in her own world. "Woah! The ground! It's split wide open! This must be where the ancient battle ensued! A battle where a goddess and an evil god seal each other with their weapons!" she said.

IF stared at her for a little bit. "What is she talking about?" she asked in a whisper.

"I haven't the slightest." Cameron replied in the same whisper.

"Nep-Nep says a lot of random things, but you'll get used to it." Compa said, earning a snort from Cameron. Even he wasn't completely used to her randomness, and he'd been around Neptune longer.

"If you say so. But still, for losing her memory, Nep sure knows a lot…" IF said thoughtfully.

"Ah… hahahaha…" Compa laughed a little awkwardly.

Neptune still wasn't listening to their conversation. "You guys! The view from here is awesome! Oh but wait! Are you scared?" she said teasingly.

Compa took over, mostly informing Cameron and Neptune about what this place was. "Nep-Nep, Cameron, this is the 'sky harbor.' It's where we go to get to the other Lands." she said. "The Lands aren't connected, so we need to go through here."

"Oh yeah, I read that in one of your books, Compa." Cameron remembered. "But… I don't know. Is there like… an airship we have to find? Maybe climb it's anchor?"

"Ooh! I know! We just have to jump, right? Like while saying 'wahoo'!" Neptune guessed.

IF shook her head. "If you're going to do that, then grow a moustache and jump. But no, we need to go to the Basilicom. We fill papers there, and once we get approval, we can go freely." she explained.

"That still doesn't explain how we get across." Cameron said.

"Cameron, let it go. If they don't answer the first time, it's probably not too important to worry about." Neptune said, giving him a gentle shove.

"Fine. I'll try." Cameron replied.

"Anyway, while we walk, we should decide on what Land to go to. Any picks?" IF asked.

"Ah…" Cameron said, pulling out a travel book he had brought with him. "Let's just do it the old fashioned way. Eeny meeny miny moe… ah ha, okay, how about Lastation?"

"Good enough for me!" Neptune said happily. The other two nodded, and they headed to another building rather close by. Cameron guessed it was the Basilicom that IF had mentioned.

Stepping inside, the party was greeted with a sort of office like area. Several guards were inside, and several general employees were sitting behind counters.

"Hello!" Neptune said to one staff member who looked free.

"Welcome to Planeptune's Basilicom. How may I help you?" the man said.

IF took over here. "Can we all get crossing approvals to go to Lastation?" she asked the staff member.

"All four of you to Lastation, correct? Then take a seat for a second while I do this…" the man said, typing at his computer quickly. "Very well then. Please fill out this form here and sign right over there for me."

It took a good few minutes, mostly because IF drilled into the other three to actually pay attention to what the form had to say. But they eventually did fill it all out and returned to the staff member.

"So let me see here… Ms. IF, Ms. Compa, Mr. Cameron, and Ms. Neptunia, correct?" he read off.

"Umm… my name isn't 'Neptunia'. It's Neptune." Neptune corrected him.

"Oh, my bad. How awful of me, mistaking such a loli-cute girl like you…" the staff member immediately said, backtracking a little.

Cameron didn't exactly like the way the member had spoke about Neptune. 'Yeah, and she's my loli-cute girl, thank you very much.' he found himself thinking. Then he shook his head a little. This guy wasn't making a move. He was just stating a fact.

In any case, the member tried to correct himself. "Let's see now… Neptuune… Neptyu… toon…" he said, looking like he was genually struggling to pronounce Neptune's name.

"Ah… is my name really that hard to say?" Neptune thought aloud.

"Oh no! Not at all! I'm just having a bad day today. Happens to the best of us." the member said, but the four couldn't help but notice that he said that a bit too fast.

"Speaking of which…" IF said, when the man was typing away on his computer for a second. "Can you say 'Neptune' Compa?"

Compa looked a little embarrassed. "Well… I couldn't, so that's why I say 'Nep-Nep'."

Cameron thought of something. "Really? Then can you say 'Planeptune'?" he asked.

"Planeptune?" Compa asked. This got some stares from Cameron and IF.

"I don't understand… even I screw up when saying 'Planeptune' after all this time. How can you say that and not 'Neptune'?" IF asked.

Compa was saved from answering, however, when the man came back from the printer. "So sorry for the wait. You're all clear to go. You should be able to travel between Lastation and Planeptune freely now."

"Thank you." IF said. The group was getting ready to leave, but then Neptune suddenly thought of something.

"Oh, mister? I wanted to ask, but is the goddess around?" she asked.

"I think Lady Purple Heart is up in Celestia still. She hasn't come down here yet."

"Aww… oh well. I see. I thought maybe the goddess would be around. Shucks." Neptune replied, scrapping the heel of her shoe on the ground.

"Well…" the man continued. "I heard that the other CPUs have appeared to protect their Lands… I hope Lady Purple Heart is all right…"

"Maybe something happened in the Console War?" IF suggested, but the staff member only shook his head.

"That can't be. Lady Purple Heart would never lose to the other goddesses." he said somewhat fiercely. Good to know he supports his goddess.

"Um… hello? What's that about a Console War?" Neptune said.

"Yeah… that's news to me as well." Cameron added. Even with his memory gone, he was pretty sure he'd never heard of a Console War.

The man looked a little confused, but then he remembered that Cameron and Neptune had said they lost their memories on the forms. "It's a battle that started many, many eons ago, for rulership of Gamindustri. It's said that the last standing CPU will become a god to rule Gamindustri."

IF nodded, adding on, "And as such, the CPU's have been fighting in Celestia for… I wouldn't be surprised if it had been several millennium."

Neptune was thinking about that. "Not sure what's so great about beating each other up. Why not be friends?"

"Heh. That's a question many have asked. But seriously, Neptune has a point. Doesn't it get tiring to fight after so long?" Cameron asked.

"True… but with how long they've been fighting, I guess they can't simply turn back now." IF said thoughtfully. "Anyway, we're burning daylight here. We should get going. Off to Lastation we go."

"Okay then. See you later, Mr. Nice Guy!" Neptune said cheerfully, and with that, the party left the building, leaving the staff member to his thoughts.

"That Neptune girl… she was so small and cute… I hope she comes back again." he muttered under his breath. "But why do I feel like I've seen her before? Hmmm…"

 _Some time later, in an unknown location…_

"It has been quite a while, Histoire." said the goth lady that Neptune and gang had beaten before. She was talking to… a book?

"Arfoire… no matter how often you come, I have no intent to help you." The voice of Histoire rang out. It source was the book Arfoire had put on a stand.

"I know that." Arfoire said menacingly. "I came here to talk about Neptune."

"No… did you… meet Neptune?" Histoire said, her voice wavering the smallest bit.

"Aha. So it was you after all… you're the one who's been guiding her and her friends." Arfoire caught.

"What can I do?" Histoire countered. "I am sealed here and unable to move."

Arfoire seemed to know better. "Hmph. What a liar. But no matter. I will defeat her another time. And when I do, no one will be able to stop me. The other goddesses are in my control. They shall fight by my will! Hahahahaha!"

 _Back with Neptune and Co…_

The four had just stepped out of a building, having just arrived. The trip to Lastation was rather uneventful, save for the occasional bird flock that flew by. But finally, they stepped out and saw the new land in front of them.

"Wow, this place is all steampunky!" Neptune said, looking around at all the buildings and factories around them. "This place is called Lastation, right?"

"Yep. Lastation, ruled by CPU Black Heart. It's obscured by various industries." IF relayed. "Hasn't changed much I see. I've been here only once."

"So, um, does the 'theme' of each Land match with that goddess's preference? Because is so, this Black Heart lady must be a very unique person." Neptune asked, her eyes practically filled with hope that she'd be able to tease the goddess.

"No, the CPU's are there to protect us. It's us humans that shape the Land to what we think best." IF said, shutting down Neptune very fast.

"Aww, that's so realistic. Compa, Cameron, what're your thought's of the Land?" Neptune asked.

"All the factories and chimneys remind me of an industrial revolution." Compa said happily, looking everywhere. "But to be honest, I'm not really into this sort of thing."

"It's nice. I only wish there wasn't those clouds up there. Everything seems… well, kinda dark." Cameron admitted, looking straight up. Indeed, a huge, gray cloud was in the sky around Lastation, blocking the sun fairly well. "Or wait… is that a giant smog cloud?"

IF just shrugged. "Ah well. It's not for everyone, but I think it's nice. Now, let's go to the Basilicom. We should be able to meet the goddess there. Maybe she will know where the thing we're looking for is." she said.

With no other ideas the four decided to go with that plan. They started making their way to the center of town. The whole time, people gave them small looks, but it was mostly out of curiosity. Maybe the Lands didn't get many foreign visitors all that often. Some shot Neptune a second glance, but for the most part they didn't bother the group.

About two minutes in, they found a decent hotel close by, so they decided to check in. "Best to have a home base in case we all get separated. This place does look pretty big." Cameron said, as he waited with Compa while Neptune and IF got a room.

"This is a very big Land… are you sure we can find a small metal piece here?" Compa asked him.

"Well… I'm not sure. We probably will one way or another, but… right now, I have no idea how we will find it." Cameron admitted, sitting down.

Compa sat down next to him, putting her hand under his chin, pushing his face up to look into his eyes. "I believe we will find it. For your sake, and Nep-Nep's. We will find those pieces." she said softly. Her face… it was so cute when she looked all serious. Cameron found his left hand taking her right.

They were just about to kiss each other again. They didn't care that they were in public, they loved each other and wanted to kiss. They wanted to SO badly, but Neptune came over at just the right time to shut them down. "I hate to interrupt you two lovebirds, but we're almost finished getting our room. Come on." she said teasingly, a grin on her face.

Cameron and Compa were a mixture of both angry that Neptune had interrupted them, and embarrassed that Neptune had caught them. Nevertheless, they both agreed silently to have time to themselves soon. Very soon.

Afterwards, they headed out of the hotel and made their way around. But it was very clear after some time that they had no idea where they were going.

"Hey, Iffy. Are we there yet?" Neptune asked, getting impatient.

"That's… I'm pretty sure it was in this direction…" she said, getting flustered.

"Don't tell me we're lost…" Neptune complained.

"See, this is why I wanted to take a map from the hotel. So that we knew where we were going, but nnnooooo!" Cameron said indignantly to IF.

"Oh shut up!" IF said to him. "It's been a while since I last came here, okay? Let's ask someone."

At that very moment, a person came by, looking around. Another girl, with red hair tied into a ponytail, amber eyes, and what appeared to be some sort of adventurer's outfit. The outfit consisted of a black short shirt under a white tanktop held up with a belt, all under a red and white jacket with gold lining. She also wore a pair of denim short-shorts with a thick, brown and gold belt. To finish it off, she also wore black, fingerless gloves, a blue scarf, and matching red shoes.

"Maybe she knows her way around here. 'Scuse me! Miss?" Cameron called out.

"Hm? Oh, you mean me?" the girl said, coming over.

"Yes, can you please give us directions? We want to meet Lady Black Heart, but can you tell us where to go to find her?" he asked quickly.

"Lady Black Heart?" the girl said, looking confused for a second. "Oh wait, you mean Lady Noire. Simple, just head down this path, take the first right, and you'll find the Basilicom pretty quickly after that."

IF looked smug. "Looks like the general direction was correct." she said, glaring at Cameron. "Thank you."

"We all have to help each other at some point, no?" the new girl said.

"Well, since we met, do you mind if I ask for your name?" Neptune asked. "I'm Neptune, that's Compa, this is Iffy, and the tall guy is Cameron."

"In EVERY introduction, do you have to point out my height?" Cameron asked, but in reality, he didn't mind. He kinda had an ego for his height. Made him feel important, somehow.

"Good to met you all. I'm Falcom, a newbie adventurer." the new girl said. "If you're in a pickle and need help, give me a holler. I'll know."

"Oh crap, we're in a hurry." IF said, looking at the time. "We gotta run. Hope we meet again. Thanks for the directions."

"Whew…" Falcom sighed. "What a surprise. I didn't expect to meet them in this realm… but that boy… he was new. Wonder what his story is…"

The four quickly hurried along the path, seeing the right just up ahead. But then…

"Hey. Hey you. Tall guy." a voice called out. Cameron stopped, and looked around. No one in sight…

"Come over here." the voice called out again. This time, he thought he saw the swish of a jacket, disappearing down one of the side alleys.

"H-hey… I'll be right back." Cameron said slowly to the other three. "You guys… go on ahead."

Apparently not having heard the voice, the three looked at him for a second, before heading forward.

Cameron cautiously approached the alleyway. His right hand was resting on the new arm cannon on his left arm, in case this was a trap.

"Huh… didn't expect you to come. Whatever, you look like you can use this now, so here." the voice rang out. A man stepped from the shadows, but due to the lack of light, all Cameron could make out was a man in a trench coat. In any case, a shine flew at Cameron, and he instinctively caught it.

It was a disc, an empty one. Nothing seemed to remarkable elsewise.

"Find me back in Planeptune if you defeat any tough monsters, or rank up." the mysterious man said again. "I'll give you another disc then. For now, just take that one and this."

The man gave Cameron another object, a disc card, and instructions on how to use them.. "Thanks… I guess?" Cameron replied, tucking the objects into his pack. He left the alleyway, looking back once. But… the silhouette of the man was gone. "What the… just keep walking Cameron. Just keep walking." Cameron told himself.

He started walking, which quickly turned into a run. He needed to catch up with the girls.

Pretty soon, he found them all, standing right in front of what he assumed was the Basilicom of Lastation. "Sorry, got a little side-tracked for a second." he said, running up to them.

"What was it about?" IF asked.

"I'll tell you later. Let's just get this going." Cameron replied quickly, to the annoyance of the other three. But he had a point. They needed to speak with the lady.

Stepping inside, the interior of the Basilicom was much like the one back at Planeptune, only a lot more stuff was black. Neptune quickly made her way to one of the staff members.

"Um, 'scuse me! I came to met Lady Black Heart, but is she around?" she asked quickly.

"Huh?" the man said, looking up. When he saw the group, his face… became stony. "Who are you kids? This isn't a playground. Scram!" he said, his tone angry.

"KIDS? Now wait just a minute, that's no way to treat your guests!" Cameron said, irritated for having been called once again a kid.

Compa stepped up, trying to defuse the situation. "Mister, we really need to meet the CPU. We're trying to get Nep-Nep and Cameron's memories back." she said.

"Oh wait!" Neptune said suddenly. "I know! This must be just another plot point! I just have to name myself first."

Before Cameron could voice his doubts about that plan actually working, Neptune had already introduced the whole gang. But the staff member was only getting more irritated.

"Stop rambling! I don't care who or what you are. Now, get out of here before I force you out!"

"Wow, so much for civility from the Basilicom…" IF muttered. "They say the clothes make the man, but I guess the CPU isn't all that great."

"Say whatever you want. Frankly, I could care less about what Black Heart is being called." the staff member said.

That one comment made the entire party completely silent for a few seconds. IF looked shocked at that.

Neptune was getting desperate. "Look. You've got a group of cute girls here pleading. C'mon, let us meet her!"

"Come on Nep. Let's just go. We're wasting our time." IF said, turning to leave the building.

"Iffy, are you giving up already?! The story is over the moment you give up!" Neptune complained.

"Let's just go." IF repeated, walking off. The other three had no choice but to follow her, leaving the staff member in peace.

 _Meanwhile, somewhere in a nearby forest…_

"This is the end!"

In a flash of silver, another beast fell to the ground, defeated. The wielder of the sword was none other than Lady Black Heart herself. Noire was her real name, according to Falcom.

"Well, that was easy. What a fool to have faced me!" she said, sheathing her blade. In a bright flash of light, suddenly she transformed into a much younger looking girl, with two black pig tails about waist length, two red eyes, a very fancy dress of multiple colors, a blue bow tied around her neck, and white skirt, lined with black.

"But to be honest… I didn't expect so many monsters to be spawning in the Land." Noire said to herself. "Oh well, the area is cleansed. I better head back to the Basilicom."

Along the way, she thought to herself, about why she came back to Lastation. After Neptune had fallen, the other three had continued to fight, but they felt their powers weakening. Their power came from people's faith, or Shares, which tends to sway like you'd expect.

"I hate to think about it…" Noire said to herself. "But… I would have been next after Neptune fell… I had to quit the fight, and come down here. I need to build my Shares up again."

But when she got here, she saw that faith has been waning with her. A new major company, called Avenir, had started up, and has pretty much taken over Lastation. The people put their faith in Avenir rather than Noire, due to how long she had been gone. But that's not the only thing she hated about Avenir.

"Stupid idiots… they took over my nation. AND my Basilicom. Any of my still faithful people in their were kicked out. Now… I'm no more than a prisoner." she said angrily, kicking small rocks.

Indeed, the only way she could keep the peace alive in this place was to sneak out. Getting rid of monsters helped clear her head, and calmed her down a little.

Noire sighed. "Basilicom… I really don't want to have to go back there." she whispered. But she kept walking anyway. No point to just run for it. That's not proper of a goddess.

 _Back with Neptune and Co…_

Neptune was seeing red. "I'm so mad! The Basilicom is one thing, but Iffy, you're another! Why'd we leave?" she asked angrily.

"I'm with Neptune on this one! We left, and now we have no idea what to do!" Cameron said indignantly.

"Didn't you two notice?" IF said. "He didn't have any respect at all to the CPU."

"Yes… he didn't treat the goddess' name with respect. That's weird…" Compa said slowly.

"What's so weird? Maybe they're just like buddy-buddy and talk super casual." Neptune said.

"Well, there's no way people in the Land would call their CPU by name." IF countered. "Remember the man back at the Basilicom in Planeptune? He was weird, but he still respected the CPU by addressing her properly."

"But here… it's nothing but scorn. You might be onto something IF" Cameron said, slowly coming around to the idea.

"Iffy, haven't you been traveling the world? Do you have know anything about this?" Compa asked.

"Sorry Compa. I've mostly stayed in Planeptune, so I don't have any info yet." IF admitted.

"So much for the 'adventuring' character, eh Iffy?" Neptune joked. "But hey, don't worry. We won't kick you out just because you faked your resume! Even if your level is low, we'll be together, even into the next story sequel!"

"Kind of ironic that this is coming from someone who lost their memory, no? But back on topic, I propose we do some quests for now. How about it?" IF said.

"We still have money, right? Why do we have to do quests now?" Neptune said, before a thought came to mind. "Oh wait, don't tell me. You stole money from Cameron to buy your own pleasures?!"

That made Cameron instinctively reach for his money pouch. IF quickly cleared her name, saying, "No. We have money, and I didn't steal any from Cameron. It's not like I sneak out of buy pudding like you, Nep."

"So THAT'S why I found five extra puddings in the bag this morning! You took money from me Nep?!" Cameron yelled. But she wasn't focused on him.

"Wha-?! Y-Y-Y-You knew?! Nepu?!" Neptune said, shaking a little.

"Dead obvious. You thought I didn't hear the floorboards creaking?" IF said. "You only thought you were safe because those two are heavy sleepers."

"Oh…" Neptune said, defeated.

"...anyway, remember how the Key Fragment was with that disc in Planeptune?" IF asked. "Think it could be the same in Lastation too?"

"True… if I was to hide something important, I'd find things to guard it as well." Cameron said thoughtfully.

Neptune's attitude had done a complete one-eighty. "You're a genius, Iffy! I'm sorry for thinking you were useless earlier!"

Compa looked nervous at IF's angry face. "Um, Nep-Nep… I don't think you needed to bring up that last part…" she said, worried.

 _About fifteen minutes later…_

"Is that her? The person who wants us to fight monsters?" Compa asked, pointing at a woman in front of a shop.

"She's… kinda small. I was thinking like, a big burly man or something…" Neptune replied.

Then, the woman noticed the group standing looking at her. "And now she's waving… I think we found our person." Cameron said, walking over.

"I think she's come to the same conclusion about us." IF said, as the woman waved for the group to come next to a heavy metal door.

As soon as they stopped walking, the woman started speaking. "So it's you four? You're the people who are taking the work I ordered? You all sure you'll be okay?"

"More than okay. Nice to met you. I'm IF, that's Neptune, Compa, and Cameron." IF introduced.

"Well…" the woman said slowly. "I guess you wouldn't have come if you weren't okay. My name is Chian. I run a small factory called Passe. Now come on, no point standing around here. Follow me."

Chian quickly opened the door next to the group, and went through. The group took one glance around, not entirely sure about this now. But they soon quickly followed after her.

But instead of a factory, like the group had expected, the building they walked into was a restaurant. "Wait… I thought you said you ran a factory?" Cameron asked Chian, who was moving to the counter.

"The actual factory is next door. This cafeteria is run by my parents. Unless you'd like to talk in a dirty, grimy factory? Take a seat." Chian explained. The four quickly took a seat at the counter, while Chian went behind it and took the single seat back there.

"Oooh! With this cafeteria, you can order a heck load of parfaits and puddings!" Neptune said, looking around at the rather cozy surroundings.

"Neptune…" Cameron said, about to tell Neptune off, when Chian spoke.

"That's not gonna create revenue, you know? The factory isn't enough, so we make do with the cafeteria, too." Chian said quickly.

"Anyway, can you tell us the details on the work you have for us?" Cameron asked.

"Sure. It's a simple job really. I need you to take care of the monster around the trade route." Chian said. "It used to be safe, but recently, a large monster appeared from nowhere. Now all trade has halted, and it's killing us."

"Aha! This may be the work we needed. We'll take that order." IF said, looking pleased.

"Good. Thank you so much. With Avenir killing the market, we really don't need anymore problems." Chian said, looking relieved.

Compa looked a little confused. "Ms. Chian? Ms. Chian? What's this 'Avenir'?" she asked.

Chian looked surprised. "Wait, hold on. You don't know about Avenir?"

"We… may have just arrived in Lastation today." Compa said quickly. "So this 'Avenir' name is new to us."

"Avenir is a major company that's pretty much ruling Lastation." Chian explained. "They make everything from goods to weapons, and they're controlling the market. Unfortunately, people like me can't compete with them, so most of our products don't sell well. Worst part is they don't create work. I know a few who closed up shop already."

"B-but… that's terrible! It goes against all antitrust laws!" Compa said, looking miffed.

IF, however, was thoughtful. "Didn't you talk with the CPU? I find it hard to believe that she would simply let this go." she asked.

"I tried." Chian said with a sigh. "Myself and a few others wanted to have an audience with her. But sadly, Lady Black Heart was away for too long. Avenir placed their goons in the Basilicom. Now they pretty much own the place. Such a waste, since Lady Black Heart just returned from Celestia…"

"So they won't let you near the Lady at all?" Cameron asked, becoming more and more furious by the minute. "That would explain our treatment back at the Basilicom…"

"So Avenir IS bad!" Neptune deduced. "Everyone is suffering because of them, right?"

"They're worse than bad. They're total MONSTERS!" Chian almost roared in anger.

Compa looked downtrodden. "So I guess we can't meet the goddess through the Basilicom then, huh?"

Neptune was also getting furious about everything that was happening. "I got an idea. How about we barge into where the CPU Lady Black Hearth lives? We could get some info on the Key Fragment, AND help Chian. It's a total bargain!"

Compa was getting excited. "Okay, Nep-Nep! Let's go stealth and stand by at Lady Black Hearth's room."

"Woah woah woah!" Cameron quickly said, trying to talk some sense back into these two. "First, it's Lady Black H-e-a-r-t, not Hearth. And secondly, we don't even know where that would be. If we don't do this right, we might never get to meet the goddess."

"He's right Nep." IF supported. "Let's just take care of Chian's order first. We'll take things one step at a time, okay?"

Neptune looked unhappy that she couldn't try her plan, but nevertheless she came around to accept the facts. She'd get other chances to go stealth mode, she was sure of it.

Soon the group had fully accepted Chian's order and headed out to the mentioned trade route.

But things would not go all according to plan, no…

 **And there we go! Another chapter out! I made sure to make it long, because I know you all like long chapters.**

 **You all should know the deal by now. If any of you readers have any questions for me, PM me and I'll do my best to answer them. Until next time readers, stay awesome.**


	8. Intense Fighting and New Skills

**Hello all of you awesome readers out there! It's ButterHunter, back with another chapter to my story! Let's just get right back into things, eh?**

Chapter 8: Intense Fighting and New Skills

 _Back at the Basilicom…_

"I'm back." the voice of Noire called out as she walked in through the large doors. "Well, not like anyone would really greet me…"

The same staff member that had spoken to Cameron and co approached her with a half angry, half relieved expression. "CPU. We've made mention many, many times to not go out alone without telling us first."

'So… they're not even calling me by name anymore…' Noire thought to herself, before retaliating the staff member by saying, "When and where I am is my choice. Are you trying to confine me? Sit here nice and pretty like a wallflower?"

The staff member started to sweat a little, as he thought carefully about his next words. "N-no, that's not what we're getting at. We're just worried…"

Noire could easily see right through him. "Hmm… well, I'll just assume what you said is what you mean, then. By the way, anything to tell me while I was gone?"

"Nothing in particular, no." the man said.

Noire raised an eyebrow. "Eh? 'Particular?' So I assume something DID happen, then."

"It is very petty, so it isn't of much interest to report on, CPU…" the staff member tried to explain. But Noire wasn't going to have any of it.

"By my orders, speak of this 'petty' item." she said, looking the man dead in the eye with a hard stare.

The man sighed, remembering how hard-headed the CPU was. "...Three girls and a young man came by to see you and caused a commotion. That's all."

Noire looked surprised at the news. "Came to see me?!" she let out, before regaining her composure again. "Ah… *ahem* So… describe this four to me."

"Ah…" the staff member said, thinking about that. "One of the girls was Neptyune, Neptoon, or something like that…"

Now Noire's face turned to one of shock. "D-did you say Neptune?! A girl with light purple hair and a spiky lift?"

"Yes…" the man said slowly. "I suppose that is the Neptund… *ahem* Neptuse. No, Nepa… Nepee…"

"..." Noire said nothing for a second, making the staff member also go silent. "You… you can't say it right, can you…?"

The man coughed quickly before speaking again. "The Nep-something girl does match the details. Do you know her?"

Noire turned around, closing her eyes and walking a step away. "Know her? It's more than that…" she replied softly. In little more than a whisper she continued, "What is she thinking, visiting me here in Lastation?"

"Are you planning to go and meet this girl? I believe that would be futile. It would seem as though she lost her memory, which is why they came to see you in the first place." the man said.

That had to have been the last conclusion Noire had had on her mind, because she looked shocked for a second. "L-lost her memory?!" she said to herself before thinking. 'Could it be because of that battle? If so, that would explain a lot…'

"CPU?"

"If I fought Neptune with her memory back… would I be able to defeat her? But… now that her memory is gone, maybe I have a chance… Yes! If I can beat Neptune, I can regain my seat of power back in Lastation." Noire said. She had started out quiet but now her voice was gradually becoming louder. "Alright then… time to make a visit to Neptune!"

With that she dashed right back out of the Basilicom, leaving a rather confused and flustered staff member behind.

 _Twenty minutes later, in the outskirts of Lastation…_

The four heroes made their way to the dungeon that Chain had sent them to, after stopping at some shops and the Guild to take on some quests. Everyone had managed to get at least one new upgrade to their weapons or armor, so they felt a little more prepared to go into the dungeon now.

Once they arrived, Neptune was dancing around all over the place, humming some silly tune. The other three could practically see the music notes flying off of her. "Finally, we made it! So this is where that monster thingy is going to appear? Well, no monster will beat me! I'll just snap my fingers and blow 'em up! Hey! Iffy! Compa! Cameron! Let's go already!"

The other three were lagging behind Neptune, trying to keep up with her. Compa wasn't looking to happy to be running so fast. "*huff**huff* Nep-Nep, wait up… I'm so tired…"

IF didn't look tired, but she looked almost afraid. "*sigh* With Nep this excited, she'll lose her spark when we need it most."

Neptune wasn't listening to much, however. "Who needs a last-gen yellow stamina bar?! I've got infinite stamina!" she yelled out, prancing along the path. "Let's just wipe out all the monsters in the area and report back to Chian!"

Cameron sighed, knowing that IF was probably going to be right about this. "Well… no good is going to come by us just watching her. Let's just start grinding a little while we work our way in." he said, dashing forward to try and catch up with Neptune. "Wait up Neptune!"

"How… how does he… keep up with her… so easily…" Compa huffed out, looking like she would pass out if she kept going this fast. IF sighed.

"Come on Compa. Here, drink some water." she said, pulling out a large canteen filled with ice cold water. Compa gratefully took it drank some, and splashed a little on her face for good measure. Shaking some of her drowsiness away, she gave the canteen back, saying, "Thank you Iffy. I feel a bit more awake now at least."

No sooner had those words escaped her lips than a sound of something being hit with a sword rang out from the hill ahead of them. They quickly ran down the path to see Neptune and Cameron taking on the new enemies this place had to offer. Neptune running around swinging at everything, while Cameron was providing cover fire with his new arm cannon, which was shooting small blasts of neverending plasma energy.

Before Compa and IF could even pull out their weapons, Cameron and Neptune had finished off the last enemy. "Pah. Child's play." Cameron said smugly. He turned back to see Compa and IF walking over to him. "Hey. What took you two so long?"

"Compa had to take a drink, so we hung back for a second." IF replied, tossing Cameron the money that had fallen on the enemy's death. "How's the new weapon working for you?"

"Pretty good. Fighting from a distance is rather nice I might add." he said, collapsing the arm cannon. "We should keep going. Gotta milk Neptune's energy for as long as we can, no?"

The other two agreed, seeing Neptune frolic playfully in a small patch of wildflowers off to the side. "Alright. Neptune! Let's go!" he called out, waving his arm in a 'follow me' gesture. Neptune followed, but not before trying to get him to give her a piggyback ride.

For at least ten minutes, the group worked their way to the other end of the dungeon, taking on all the enemies they saw. They ran into a bit of trouble though, when two dryad-like things and a floating rock creature caught the group off guard.

The enemies had first attack, landing early hits on the four. But one of the dryads… they suddenly glowed a dark color. When it subsided, it was a much more sinister looking version of the creature, looking pissed. And it hit much harder than the other one.

"Owwy!" Neptune said, taking a large hit from this new 'viral' enemy. Cameron got furious at that.

"Maybe now's the time I used something useful!" he said angrily, prepping his next move.

The surroundings became dark. Then the words, 'Flame Pillar' appeared above him. "You picked the wrong guy to piss off." he said, firing a huge blast from his arm cannon to the creature feet. When the charge hit the ground, a giant pillar of pure fire eight feet high encased the dryad, burning it several times and doing massive damage. The thing didn't even stand a chance as it quickly died.

"WOAH! Cameron! That was so epic! Do it again!" Neptune said, suddenly really interested in Cameron's new skill. Truth be told, he only just thought of it when he learned all the goodies that his arm cannon could fire.

"Can't right now Neptune." he said, pointing back at Compa and IF, who were finishing off the other two enemies.

They took a small breather next to a large tree to talk for a second. "Cameron… when did you learn to be able to do that?!" Compa asked him excitedly.

"Truth be told, I only just thought of that trick. This baby can fire so many things that I'm worried if it's too OP." Cameron admitted, patting his arm cannon. "But as of right now, I've only really learned two things. Flame Pillar and a supportive move: Echo Reflector."

"What's the Echo one do?" IF asked, curious.

"I'm pretty sure anyone that's in range of me when I use it will get the effect as well. What it does is has a 50% chance of taking no damage. The enemy will get all the damage right back at it. Hence the name. Best part is that it lasts for three turns." he explained. "Unfortunately, I need more time and EXP. I need, like, two more levels before I think I can try something else."

"Well then… how about we fight that thing?" IF said, pointing ahead of them. Cameron looked around her and nearly shit himself. In front of them was a dragon. A freaking DRAGON.

"What?! W-what the hell?!" Cameron said, staring at the monstrosity before him. The dragon paid them no mind, simply kept wandering around aimlessly.

"T-that's… that's a really big lizard." Neptune commented, pulling out her sword. "Should we attack?"

"It's on one of our quests to beat that thing. That thing has to be holding a huge amount of EXP and money." IF said.

"When I accepted the quest, I didn't think that it would be the size of a fucking building!" Cameron said, sounding fearful. "You think we can beat it?"

"Maybe. If it's too much, we'll make a run for it." IF said, drawing her blades. "Nep, you'll have to go super when we start the fight. Cameron… you do what you think best. Compa, hang to the back. You're the healer. I'll rush the thing when I can. Everyone understand?"

The group nodded. Cameron took a deep breath, and then shot the dragon from behind. Preemptive strike.

 _Battle Start._

Nep went first. She, of course, went HDD mode, and started a Cross Combo on the 'Ancient Dragon'. Unfortunately, it didn't do much at all, even with her buffed up stats.

Cameron was up now. He stayed to the back for now, next to IF. The sky darkened again, but now the words 'Echo Reflector' appeared above him. He pointed the gun at the ground under his feet and fired, but instead of the ball of energy like before, a pinkish bolt of lightning or something hit the ground. He and soon IF were both encased in the resulting energy barrier.

"Woah!" IF said. "When did you learn that one?"

Cameron grinned. "About ten fights ago. Now go! You're up!" he said, gesturing with his left hand.

IF ran up, but instead of simply attacking, she activated a skill of her own. "Demon Flames!" she yelled out, and suddenly large column of fire engulfed the dragon, hitting several times in row. That didn't do much either.

Compa followed her instructions, and stayed to the back, hiding behind Cameron. She looked tired from all the running around they had been doing. "S… so… tired…"

"Hang in there Compa." Cameron said soothingly. "Just stay behind me for now."

"O… okay…" she said, searching through her bag for something to help get her energy back up. Cameron nodded, returning his attention back to the fight. Without his notice, the dragon had taken its turn, slashing with its huge clawed hand at Neptune. She didn't fall, but she did take a large amount of damage, almost dropping her to half health.

That drove Cameron into a rage, seeing Neptune get hurt that much that quickly. He ran forward and charged up, using his rush move a few times. The cannon around his arm fired several small shots as if it were a machine gun, doing moderate damage to the dragon. After IF did another round of Demon Flames, Compa went over and healed Neptune as best as she could.

That's when the dragon changed its target. It honed in on Cameron, slashing its massive, scaly arm right for him. He tried to dodge it, but he was too slow as the clawed arm connected with him…

And bounced right back off as if he was made of rubber. The dragon backed up, clenching at its right arm. With a happy jolt, he realized Echo Reflector had done its job this turn. The dragon's own power was just used against it, and it did quite a lot, dropping it to almost half health.

"Neptune! IF! Compa! Now's our chance!" he said, collapsing the arm cannon and pulling out his new sword, made of a stone blade and a study bamboo handle rather than his old completely stone sword.

To demonstrate his point, he used another skill he had learned a while back, but this one for the sword only. The area became dark yet again as the words, 'Airborne Assault' appeared. "Let's hope I can nail this…" he said, preparing.

He cocked the sword almost as if it were a large hammer, and then somehow threw himself forward. He did a few midair cartwheels before he connected with the dragon, resulting in him bouncing off the dragon to bounce several feet in the air. He finished off by pulling out of the descent and slamming the hilt into the dragon's face, bouncing off it and landing several feet away from where he started.

For a few second, IF, Compa, and Neptune just stared at him. He never had shown this kind of athletic skill before, not to mention the strength. It had taken a considerable amount of HP from the beast, not to mention broke it's guard completely.

Cameron noticed that. "I… I honestly don't know how I did that, but hey, plot convenience for the win. Now come on!" he said quickly.

It took another ten minutes after that, mostly because of the stubborn amounts of SP it took to actually use some of the skills they had, IF and Cameron's especially. But, with some determination and quite a bit of patching up from a weary Compa, they successfully slew the dragon. For their efforts, they all gained three levels each, as well as a large pile of credits. The whole group looked rather battered up, but hey, at least the fight somehow brought their HP and SP back up to full once they won. Cameron scooped up all the credits, and then nodded to the whole group, too tired to speak right now.

A few minutes later they stopped at the traveling shop close by to do a few more things. Afterwards, the four continued down the path, Cameron leading.

Neptune, however, was lagging behind, still not completely over all the fighting they had been doing today. "*huff* *huff* Iff… y… w… ait… so… tired…" she wheezed out.

"You gotta be kidding me. I thought you said you had infinite stamina!" IF said, sighing.

"Well, yeah, but… there's too many slants and slopes here… and monsters…" Neptune said slowly, looking like she was about to collapse on the spot.

Compa was also complaining. "My tootsies hurt. I can't take a single step more. Iffy, please, let's take a rest." she said.

"Oh come on, you girls can do better. Look at Cameron." she said, turning around to see him on the ground next to a tree, his shoes off while rubbing his sore feet. "*sigh* Just when I needed him… oh well, let's take a short break then."

"Rest… finally… ya… y…" Compa said, crawling over to Cameron and looking ready to pass out.

"Ooh! Since we're resting, let's have a snack! I got pudding!" Neptune said joyfully, pulling out four of the treats.

"Wha… when did you…" Cameron said, looking through Compa's food bag.

"Don't worry about that!" Nep shrugged off. "I bet the pudding will taste perfect with the wilderness around us!"

"You think pudding tastes perfect everywhere Neptune." Cameron said with a smup grin, earning him a small pout for Neptune. IF the suddenly realized she had forgotten something back at the traveling shop, and quickly ran off to go and get it.

Then it was just Cameron, Neptune, and Compa. All alone. Together.

Cameron leaned back against tree behind him, Compa resting her head on his shoulder, looking ready to take a nap.

But Nep… she had other plans. For once, she thought about yesterday, how she had confessed. Then something came to her mind. Something that, amazingly, didn't involve the pudding.

"Hey Cammmmeron." she said, stretching out the M. He turned his head just in time to see her place her snack on the ground and cuddle up close to him, never breaking eye contact with him. Cameron's heart was beating a little faster at that point.

"Yes, Neptune?" he asked, amazed that he didn't stutter.

Instead of simply responding with words, Neptune gently wrapped her arms around him and got on his eye level. For a few seconds, all was quiet, save for the quiet breathing of Cameron and Neptune.

Cameron put a hand behind Neptune head, pulling her face closer to his. A second later and they gently kissed, feeling blissful. Cameron wrapped his arms around Neptune, which Neptune was all too happy to accept.

But a second later they remembered about Compa. When Cameron had adjusted his arms to hug Neptune, he had forgotten that her head had been on his shoulder. Now she was stirred from her half asleep state to see those two holding onto each other, kissing away.

"Cam… Cameron?" she said softly, as she was still tired.

Cameron and Neptune quickly parted to look in embarrassment at the sleepy Compa. "Ohh… uh, sorry Compa. Didn't mean to startle you…" Cameron tried to cover up.

Compa… simply smiled. "It's… it's fine." she said softly, before sitting upright again, hugging Cameron's side and kissing his cheek, much to his embarrassment.

Neptune rested her head on Cameron's shoulder, sighing contentedly. "For being a story, I quite enjoy this. Just us three, relaxing under a large tree, having a snack…"

That's when she remembered her pudding she put on the ground next to her. She grabbed it back up and started digging in, but not before offering one to Compa and Cameron. Compa declided for now, but Cameron took the chocolate one she handed him.

A few bites later, IF came running back up the path, clipping one of her phones onto her belt again. "Got what I forgot. Don't get comfy, we're moving again in a few minutes. There's still plenty of dungeon to explore."

"Ah come on IF. Don't be a downer." Cameron said, patting Neptune and Compa on the head. "Look at these two. They look…"

But before he could finish his sentence, a shrill shriek rang out, sounding very close by. That drove IF on edge. "Wait a minute… was this the place where the monster Chian described appears?"

At that exact moment, in walked a giant monster, almost as big as that huge dragon from before. It kinda looked like a giant bird, though it still looked rather dangerous. "What?" Neptune said, seeing it first. "Um… Iffy? This monster with the non-color variant design is…"

"Yep. That's the monster Chian described." Cameron said, reluctantly worming out of Compa and Neptune's grasps.

"Oh come on Iffy! You think I'd fall for your tricks?" Neptune said, standing up as well. "And Cameron, you're playing along?"

"Nep, stop the denial. This is the monster Chian asked us to get rid of." IF said, drawing her blades once again.

Compa looked crestfallen. "Mr. Monster? Can you wait? We were trying to take a break here…" she asked.

"Man… and I only took a couple of bites of my pudding…" Neptune said, looking upset. She quickly activated her HDD, going super mode. "You shall pay! Feel the wrath and agony deserving of tainting pudding time!"

"Nep-Nep's really angry." Compa whispered to Cameron. "And it looks worse now that Nep-Nep's changed."

"I know. Let's make sure we don't interrupt her normal pudding time, agreed?" Cameron asked.

"Well, at least anything pudding related will jolt her. She's ready." IF said.

"Well, pudding doesn't make me ready. I'm still tired, even with that short break…" Compa said.

Neptune was already looking about to start swinging. "Compa, Iffy, Cameron! Stop talking and let's beat the hell out of this monster already!"

Compa wasn't happy about that. "So… tired… still… *sob*" she said quietly.

"Come on Compa. The sooner we beat this monster, the sooner we can get rested again, alright?" Cameron said, drawing his sword again.

 _After a brief ten minutes later…_

Finally the monster was defeated. It roared one more time, and then fell, dissolving into nothingness. Neptune wiped the sweat off her brow. It had taken quite a lot to beat it, but not nearly as much as that dragon had.

"Whew… that was some fight." Neptune said.

"Really? It was rather quick because of you, Nep-Nep." Compa said.

"Yeah, you were the MVP in that fight Neptune." Cameron added.

None of the group noticed the black haired girl, who was almost perfectly hidden behind the rock on the edge of the clearing.

"Whew… I've come as fast as I could, but…" Noire said to herself. "I didn't expect them to be in battle. I lost my timing to show myself…"

She looked at the four friends, still talking about the fight as a whole, focusing on what was hard about it and whatnot. "I rushed her, but now that I had the chance to cool myself down a little… attacking her is too low for me."

She looked away from the group to look at her hands. "But it still makes sense to fight her now, so that I could regain my position… I can't lose my Shares… I won't be able to win the Console Wars like this…"

She returned to looking at Neptune. "But fighting Neptune now isn't like me. It's not a great image as a goddess. I wouldn't enjoy my victory… and my pride wouldn't let me…"

Then she steeled her feelings. "Sadly enough, with my position as it is now, I guess I've got no other choice but to attack."

And with that, a column of light enveloped her, and when it faded, there stood Black Heart. She only continued to watch the group for a little bit.

"Hey, wouldn't it have been faster if Nep in TRANS-AM mode flew us here?" IF asked.

"Not happening." Neptune instantly rejected, still in HDD form. "There's no way I could carry all three of us at once. This is quite tiring, you know?"

"How about being our taxi for one pudding each direction?" Compa haggled. "This is no ordinary pudding. I'm talking the super premium one!"

"Compa, that's a huge amount of money…" Cameron reminded her.

Neptune actually quivered when Compa had made her offer. "Ah… th-that's enticing, but I'll have to pass."

"Damn Neptune… you have a lot more control than I thought." Cameron said, surprised. Neptune never turned down pudding. Like, at ALL.

"Aww… that's so sad. It would have been so easy if we just flew instead." Compa said, looking sad now.

"Enough about that already. I'm changing back to normal." Neptune said.

But IF suddenly called out, "Wait a minute Nep. Don't undo your transformation just yet…"

"What's the matter Iffy? You won't be able to sway me with more pudding." Neptune said, to which Cameron rolled his eyes behind her back.

"There's someone behind those rocks over there." IF said, fingering her blades once again.

"Wha-?!" Neptune said, turning around.

"I didn't expect you to notice me. Well done." the voice of Black Heart said. She stepped out from behind the rocks, and continued, "It's been a while, Neptune. Of course, you probably don't know me now…"

"Iffy! Is she…?!" Neptune asked.

"Yes… she does look like you in that form or yours." IF said.

Cameron was looking at the new person's face. "That form and eyes… twenty credits says she knows something about you, Neptune." he said, keeping his eyes on her hands, which were on her hips, in case she drew a weapon.

Black Heart agreed. "Indeed. I know Neptune very well."

"Really?!" Neptune said, shocked. "Then tell me, who am I?!"

"Ahaha! Being asked for help by Neptune! Very well, let me tell you…" Black Heart said.

Cameron didn't fall for it. 'She's… she's not going to tell us. At least, not at first.' he thought, cocking his arm cannon behind his back.

Compa didn't seem to put the pieces together. "That's great Nep-Nep! We finally met someone who knows about you." she said happily.

"But!" Black Heart said quickly. "It's on one condition."

"Fucking called it…" Camerons said to himself.

"Condition? What's that?" Neptune asked.

"Do you even have to ask…?" Black Heart said, drawing her giant sword. "Defeat me in battle!"

And so the four were once again thrust right back into a battle. Lady Black Heart moved forward, and used one of her attacks. "Venom Fencer!" she shouted, thrusting her blade straight at Neptune. It didn't do all that much, but it did leave her with the nasty poison effect.

Neptune retaliated with a Cross Combo. Only Black Heart was very fast, and avoided several of the strikes. "God dammit, not another hard enemy… haven't we already had enough of those in this dungeon?" Cameron complained.

"Now's not the time to complain about that Cameron!" Neptune called out. "The sooner we get through this, the faster we can get out of here."

"Doesn't mean I won't complain…" Cameron muttered under his breath. He quickly stood as close as he could to everyone in the group, and once again activated Echo Reflector. Thanks to where he was standing, the whole group got the added counter chance.

After IF and Compa moved again, mostly to quickly patch the group up from the last fight, Black Heart moved again and used Venom Fencer, this time on Cameron. It hurt, but not nearly enough to end him. And it didn't poison him either, so that was good.

"My turn." he growled, noticing the goddesses face pale the slightest bit. The surroundings once again became dark, as Cameron activated a new skill, called 'Gunner Missile'. "Dance for me!" he yelled out, firing five homing missiles right at Black Heart. While she tried to work around them, Cameron prepared for the final part to the skill.

Black Heart had gotten hit already by two missiles, but she never saw the special surprise at the end. "Have an encore!" Cameron called out, firing one last, bigger missile straight ahead of him. Black Heart turned just in time to have the missile ram right into her torso, knocking her back a little bit and letting the other homing ones hit her.

The area lit back up, and now Black Heart's HP had taken a considerable bump, almost twice as much as Neptune's Cross Combo last turn, but that wasn't saying much as Neptune's Cross Combo had missed a lot. The guard was almost down, but that wasn't too serious right now. "HELL YEAH! That's what I'm talking about!" he shouted with glee, punching the air.

"Go, go, GO!" IF called out, rushing forward with Demon Flames ready.

After Compa and Neptune had gone, Black Heart was already a fourth of the way down HP-wise. But now she had her eyes focused on a new target, Cameron. She once again used her Venom Fencer, thrusting her blade at him.

And just like that, Echo Reflector did it's job. The attack did absolutely nothing to Cameron, but all the damage rebounded right back to Black Heart, poisoning her in the process. "W-what?" she managed to get out.

"You're gonna have to try harder than that." Cameron said cockily, pulling out his sword now. "You're not the only good sword fighter here!"

And once again, he pulled himself into another Airborne Assault. Once it was over, thanks to Black Heart's guard being shattered, it had done enough for her to start looking a little worried.

Twenty long, tiring minutes later, with everyone getting battered this way and that, Black Heart's HP was almost empty. But now she was really trying her hardest, because it was almost impossible to hit the woman. She was dodging like a pro, evading almost every attack the four could throw at her.

All… except one.

That damn Echo Reflector skill Cameron had was OP as hell. It had caused her to resort to remembering which people had the effect, and for how much longer, which was very stressful.

"Come on… come on" Cameron muttered to himself. He had to think of a way to end this now, before everyone passes out from exhaustion. But how?

Then he thought of a way. It was incredibly risky but… he still had one more turn of Echo Reflector left from when he used it a few turns ago. If he could trick the Lady into attacking him now, she would instantly fall. But then he ran the risk of it backfiring on him, or her not falling for it. He was low on HP, another blow could be fatal. But it was the best plan he had at the moment, so he had to try it.

He steeled himself, and then looked like he was about to use Echo Reflector again. But then he changed his mind and instead fired Flame Pillar again. The Lady easily avoided the blow, but now she was confused. Had it been three turns since he last used Reflector? Why didn't he use it now?

Regardless, she had to try and take him out. Next to Neptune, he was the strongest player on the team. Taking him out would give her a bigger advantage over the others.

Swiftly, she moved over to him and prepared Venom Fencer again, the only move she had used this whole fight. Cameron didn't even try to dodge the incoming blade, he only crossed his fingers behind his back, and prayed that this would work.

The blade swung towards him…

And connected. In a flash, the rest of his HP drained away, as Echo Reflector failed to work this turn. He felt to his knees, his face pale.

"N-no… N-nep… Neptune… forgive me…" he said softly, his eyes glazing over as he slumped over, looking lifeless, but he was just knocked out.

But unbeknown to Lady Black Heart, who had a smug expression on her face… he had a failsafe. Just in case this happened.

Because now…

The gates to hell had just been opened.

Neptune was looking right at Cameron's still body…

...and shaking with uncontrollable rage.

With an angry roar, Neptune ran forward and swung her sword, putting all her energy into it. Black Heart only just barely managed to dodge, but then when Neptune swung again, it connected. And Black Heart went flying backwards and landed on her back defeated, though still alive. She was just too tired to fight more.

Neptune turned around to see Compa holding something, a shard, over Cameron, before throwing it next to his head. The shard broke, and then a fine mist surrounded Cameron's body. Once it faded, he stirred, then slowly stood up, rubbing his head.

"Ow… everything hurts…" he moaned softly, before getting tackled into a hug by Compa. Neptune came over, looking both relieved and upset.

"Are you alright?" she asked. Compa quickly ran over to IF, who had taken a nasty blow towards the end of the fight.

"Y-yeah… I'm good. Just a little woozy right now. I'm sure it'll clear up in a few more lines." Cameron replied, shaking his head.

"Cameron, what were you thinking?!" Neptune berated him with an angry tone. "You didn't even try to dodge!"

Cameron stood up for himself. "I was thinking that Echo Reflector would work that turn! It would've been the quick way to finish the fight!"

Neptune sighed, before grabbing him by the shoulders and whispering into his ear. "Promise me something, okay? Promise me that you won't try to be completely ignorant to the others around you, alright? You nearly gave me a heart attack when you collapsed on the ground. Give some more thought before you just try a crazy idea like that."

Cameron clasped her shoulders back, looking right into her older looking eyes. "I swear on my life. If I'm going down, I'm going down kicking and screaming." he said in the same husky whisper.

They both nodded, then separated just in time to see Compa helping IF up. The four quickly made their way back to Black Heart, who was fuming at what had happened.

"Tch! Even if I was outnumbered… me, lose?! What's going on?" Black Heart yelled out, frustrated. "Or, it this my power…? No… I won't believe it!"

Neptune nodded at Cameron, who understood immediately. He pushed the button on his arm cannon and cocked it a few times. "Now that I won, tell me what you know about me." Neptune said fiercely.

Shakily, Black Heart got to her feet, her weapon disappearing into thin air. "Don't think you've won it all just by downing me!" she said angrily.

"I admit that we did outnumber you, but still, a win is a win." Neptune leveled.

"No… no! I won't accept this!" Black Heart yelled desperately, before turning on her heel and running with surprising speed considering she had just been defeated.

"Wait!" Neptune yelled too late. Cameron fired a few plasma blasts at the fleeing target, but missed. She quickly got out of range before turning around a corner.

"Go after her, Nep!" IF yelled.

Then all of the sudden, a column of light encased Neptune, changing her back to her normal form, much to her confusion. "W-woah, what?!"

"Nep, what are you doing changing forms now?! Change back!" IF commanded.

"I'm sorry, Iffy… I used up all my juice already. I'm soooo tired…" Neptune said weakly, after trying to restart HDD.

"Not a good time to be tired Neptune!" Cameron yelled out, collapsing his arm cannon. "We have to go! She's our chance to get info on you! Come on!"

With that, he started jogging in the direction Black Heart went. Reluctantly, Neptune ran after him, followed by IF and Compa.

At least the run would be short. But what was to happen once the group caught up with Lady Black Heat would not.

Count on it.

 **And that's the end of the chapter! Holy shit, it took me WAY too long to get this out! Almost a month since I've last posted on this story… that's pretty bad.**

 **Anyway guys, I hope that the wait was at least worth it for this chapter! Sorry that I haven't been updating for a while… on both my stories in fact. The reason? What else but school and concern about my job coming this summer.**

 **In fact… concerning my job… well, I'm going to be very busy during most days, so… if the amount I post starts really slowing down in the summer, well… you know why then.**

 **As always, if you guys have any questions for me, PM me and I'll do my best to answer them. Until next time guys, stay awesome.**


	9. The Tsundere Joins the Party

**What is up my awesome readers out there! It's ButterHunter, back again with another chapter of my HDN story! Time to get back to the randomness!**

Chapter 9: The Tsundere Joins the Party

Noire was panting, having run for quite a bit by now. Sighing with despair, she spoke to herself. "Lost to Neptune and my Hard Drive Divinity is off now. Oh, what a day… I can't believe I lost to Neptune…"

Then a thought crossed her mind. "Well… it was a 4-on-1, so… I bet if it was just 1-on-1 I would've…"

But she was interrupted from her monologue when out of nowhere, a pair of arms wrapped themselves around Noire, nearly knocking her over. "Gotcha!" a voice said, one that could only belong to the one and only Neptune.

"Waaaaaaaah?!" Noire screamed. Clearly she had been so lost in her thoughts, she had failed to hear the sound of footsteps getting closer to her.

"Gotta catch em' all!" Neptune shouted joyfully. Another set of footsteps came pounding close by.

"Neptune, stop using overused Internet memes!" Cameron called out, panting from the jog. This whole day was draining him of all his stamina, and he was about done with everything.

"Wh-what?! Like, wait! What?! Why?!" Noire half asked, half screamed.

"I'm not letting you go until you spill everything you've got." Neptune said quickly.

"Neptune, watch your phrasing!" Cameron called out again, jogging around a tree to see Neptune tightly holding Noire, preventing her escape. "Uhh… Neptune?"

"Hmm?" Neptune asked, before she finally looked at the person she just caught. "W-wait… I've got the wrong person. Dammit…"

Quickly, she put Noire down. Noire looked very thankful, but now she knew she couldn't run away. That'd be too suspicious.

"Wh-why are you here?!" Noire called out, looking directly at Neptune.

"Ummm… we're looking for a girl. Did you see anyone come by here at all?" Neptune asked. "She's black, shiny, and was flying. I figure she'd be really easy to spot."

"What she means is WEARING black." Cameron corrected.

"The description still reminds me of an insect pest…" Noire commented. Then she realized that she could use this question to her advantage. "Well, actually… I think there was someone going down that direction. Like, really fast." She pointed behind her, further down the path that looped around the mountain range.

"Oh shucks… she was my important hint and all… guess I missed the time limit for that flag." Neptune said, downtrodden. "*sigh* Iffy is so not going to like hearing she got away…"

"..." Noire didn't say anything, she just looked at Neptune in a funny way.

"Oh sorry, she likes to talk to herself a lot. Like, all the time." Cameron said quickly. Even he couldn't tell that that this chick was the same person that the party had just fought.

Neptune stuck her tongue at him, before returning her attention to Noire. "By the way, why are you all alone here? Hey wait… you're all scraped up! Yikes… you look really badly hurt there…"

"Were you attacked or something by a monster?" Cameron asked quickly. He longed to just go back to the hotel, because his feet were really killing him now.

Noire's face changed for a split second as she whispered to herself, "Right, YOU were the monsters…"

"Hm? Did you say something? Anyhow, your wounds look bad, but are you okay?" Neptune asked.

"Oh, it's only a bunch of scratches. Nothing to bawl over." Noire said.

'Looks a lot more than a bunch of scratches to me.' Cameron thought to himself. Her arms looked cut in multiple places, as did her legs, and there was faint traces of dust, dirt, and grime in her hair and clothes.

"But it isn't safe to assume you're fine without a professional opinion!" Neptune argued a bit. "Oh, I know! My friend is an expert in medicine, so let's have her check you!"

"What?" Noire said. She had forgotten that there was another two with them, but she still couldn't hear anymore footsteps. "Wait, um. No, really, it isn't a big deal or anything…"

"If you're worried about money, then it's not a problem. We won't charge you, I guarantee it." Cameron assured Noire.

"That's not my point!" Noire said loudly. But Neptune wasn't listening.

"Compa~! Where are you, Compa~! Here, Compa, come here!" Neptune called out down the path that she had just come from.

"I don't think calling as if calling for a dog will work…" Noire commented.

"And, three, two, one…" Cameron said, counting on his fingers. Right on cue, there came Compa.

"Did you call me, Nep-Nep?" Compa said, looking better, but still tired.

"You're kidding me…" Noire whispered to herself.

"Surprised? I am, after all, the heroine! I have 108 skill styles, y'know?" Neptune said smugly.

"Oh stop lying Nep. We just caught up to you two right when you were yelling." IF said, lightly bopping Neptune on the forehead.

"By the way, did you need anything, Nep-Nep?" Compa asked.

"Yeah, she… um, oh right. I haven't gotten your name yet." Neptune said, turning back to Noire. "I'm Neptune, this is Compa, that's Iffy, and the giant is Cameron."

"Every goddamn time…" Cameron whispered to himself, shaking his head.

"It's IF, to be exact. Nice to met you." IF said quickly. "What's yours?"

"...re." Noire replied softly.

"What?" Neptune said, raising an eyebrow.

"Noire." Noire replied scathingly.

"Noire?" Neptune asked, slightly stretching out the R. "Fancy name. I bet you don't have any friends and stuff."

"Neptune!" Cameron yelled at her, trying to shush her. But Noire already looked pissed.

"Wha-?! Why, you! Is that the way you greet someone you meet for the first time?!" Noire shouted in anger.

"Oh lighten up. It's just a joke. I was just trying to be funny here." Neptune said quickly.

"You really need to learn the 'when' part of being funny, Nep. Compa, will you?" IF said quickly.

"Okie-dokey! Leave it to me!" Compa said happily.

"Hey! Iffy! You took my line!" Neptune complained.

"If we leave everything to you, we'll never get anything done in this story Neptune. It'll just be exposition all the time." Cameron commented, inspecting his sword for anything wrong with it.

Five minutes later, Compa wiped her brow a little, nevertheless still with that happy smile. "There you go! All patched up. I just cleaned the cuts and bandaged them." she said.

Noire actually did look thankful as she said, "Thank you, this helps a lot. Ah… was that, Compa? Are you… Neptune's friend?"

"Yes. We've been best friends ever since I found her and Cameron speared to the ground!" Compa replied.

Then IF thought of something. "Speaking of… Noire, what were you doing in this dangerous place?"

"And, all scratched up." Compa added on.

Noire looked nervous. "I…"

"Something is fishy here…" IF commented in a low voice.

"Um, well… I'm not sure too, and…" Noire started.

Neptune took over from there, having not been in this conversation for at least a few lines. "What? Then… you're… a fellow amnesiac?!" She asked, sounding joyful.

"H-huh? Oh, oh yes! That's right, amnesia." Noire immediately agreed. "I can't remember a single thing! It must've happened when I was attacked."

"Sure, that's so convincing…" Cameron muttered.

"Way to make it sound real…" IF agreed.

"Uh-oh… then how can we get you back home?" Compa said, looking worried.

"I know how you feel, Noire. It must be harsh without your memory." Neptune added on.

"Wait, we're believing her…?" IF asked.

"Seriously?" Cameron added, just as confused. Did those two REALLY not see the game this girl was playing?

"Oh, I know! I'll help you! Like, I've been without memory longer than you." Neptune said proudly.

"I… guess that helps…" Noire said slowly. Neptune never really showed this kind of… care for others. Did she really lose everything when she lost her memory?

"So… what should we do with Noire? How can we get her home?" Compa asked, still very worried.

"Well…" IF started, but then Cameron got an idea.

"Why not take her to the Basilicom? Surely they can keep her safe in custody." he suggested.

That one simple comment scared Noire right to the bone. "W-what?!"

"Not over there! Those goons wouldn't know how to handle a girl right!" Compa disagreed.

"I know! Why not just let her tag along with us until her memory returns?" Neptune suggested.

'Th-that was close…' Noire thought to herself. 'If they took me back, my cover would be blown and I would look bad, too. I better just do what Neptune says and tag alon…'

Then she realized what Neptune had said. "Wha-?! Tag along?! As in, together?!" she cried out.

"You don't like it? But, we are memory loss buddies, so let's stay together!" Neptune argued.

"Yes." Compa agreed. "It's safer than being at the Basilicom. It's fun with more friends, too!"

Noire quickly regained her composure again, saying weakly, "Um, ah, it's not like I don't like it, but… ah, I was just… surprised."

"Why? What kind of heartless bastards would we be if we leave someone behind when they need it?" Cameron argued, getting a surprised glance from everyone else around him. "What?"

"Nothing. So… I'll take it that you don't mind then! Again, nice to meet you, Noire!" Neptune said quickly, shifting the focus to Noire.

The next several minutes were uneventful, save for the occasional monster attack. Noire didn't seem keen to be fighting just yet, due to her cuts. She said she would join in later, but that could have meant anything.

Finally, at long, long last, the group returned to the heart of Lastation. "Lastation, I'm home!" Neptune called out joyful.

"Could you quit it with that creepy smile of yours?" IF said, nevertheless also happy to be back somewhere that they could rest peacefully.

"Well, I felt something shining on me. Like, I felt I was back 'home'." Neptune said, defending herself. "Noire? Do you remember anything? Does this place spark a light in you?"

"Huh? Oh, no. Nothing at all." Noire said offhandedly. She had been thinking to herself a little bit, trying to figure out what her next move should be.

"Aww… this place was close to the dungeon, so I figured you were from here." Neptune whined.

"I'm surprised too. The color scheme of your clothes match this place well. Are you sure you aren't from around here?" Cameron asked.

But Noire didn't hear him. She was too focused on Neptune. "You say you lost your memory, but are you okay?"

"Heh, well, not that great, really." Neptune admitted, rubbing the back of her neck awkwardly. "I know! Let's bang our heads! I'll try it on a pillow and you try on a brick wall!"

"Wha-?! Why do I have to do that?! Wait, and why the pillow for you?!" Noire complained.

"See, I'm really delicate, and you seem very hard-headed, so I thought…" Neptune started, but stopped when she saw the smile Noire was wearing.

"Figured what?" Noire asked, almost like a challenge. "Oh, here, let me cover your face with a pillow instead."

Neptune immediately backed up. "Ah?! Oh, come now Noire. I'm just joking. Your eyes… they're scary…"

"So, stripes or plain? I'll at least let you choose your demise… design." Noire said, correcting herself at the end.

"W-we're not simulating a murder scene here! Cameron, Compa, Iffy, help me!" Neptune pleaded.

IF and Compa were a bit further down the road to the hotel. "Oh Nep-Nep… she's already friends with Noire." Compa's voice said happily. Either she was oblivious or she was just that happy-go-lucky.

"Speaking of pillows, I'm getting a bit tired. And hungry." IF commented, wiping her forehead a little.

"*sigh*... come on you two." Cameron said, flicking both Noire and Neptune in the forehead gently. "Everyone is tired, and I really don't want to have to break up a fight like this. I'm too tired for that."

Glares followed him as the three returned with Compa and Iffy, who were already starting to work their way down the road. "Oh! I know! Let's have dinner for Noire! We can have a pillow fight afterwards!"

"Uhhhh… Compa?" Cameron reminded her. "Not saying that that sounds bad, but... uhh, I don't think that it's safe to let Neptune use a pillow as a weapon."

He almost said something about how he was the only guy here, and that four girls having a pillow fight would be much different with a guy there as well.

"Pillow fight aside, dinner sounds good. Let's go." IF agreed.

After realizing that the hotel was close by, the group made their stop at Chian's restaurant.

"I'm back!" Neptune called out. I beat up that monster real good!"

"Really?! That's great! Now I don't have to worry about the supplies anymore." Chian said, looking grateful.

"I guess our first assignment in Laststation was a success." IF said proudly. The rest of the group, minus Noire, agreed.

In fact, Chian noticed that this girl was new to the group. "Hm? Looks like you've got someone new there. Who is she?"

"She's Noire. She was hurt and lost her memory, so we brought her with us." IF explained.

"Is that so? Well th-... wait a minute." Chian said, looking Noire up and down. "I've… I've seen you before. C-c-c-could it be…? Lady Black Heart?!"

'Eep!' Noire said, realizing that she needed to act fast.

"Noire… Lady Black Heart?" Compa said slowly, not sure she believed it.

"What?!" Neptune said, once again sporting her Neptune Troll Face. "News at 10: 'The girl who lost her memory was actually the CPU?!'"

"N-no, wait! What are you talking about?!" Noire denied. "I'm… ah, I like cosplay, and… um, I totally love Lady Black Heart, so…"

'This is just getting worse…' she thought to herself.

"Oh… is that it? No wonder you were wearing clothes just like the Lady." Chian said, looking disappointed. "You had me fooled there. I honestly thought you were the Lady in person. Wouldn't that be fucking nice…"

"Aww… if Noire was the CPU, then I'm sure Chian's wishes would be heard." Compa said sadly.

"Should've said something like that before Noire." Cameron said, looking at Noire with suspension. Out of what, he really couldn't decide on.

'Th-that was too close…' Noire said, inwardly breathing a sigh of relief.

"But, you cosplaying all the time like a goddess is, well, kind of creepy." Neptune said.

"Wha-?! Don't call me creepy! I can't help it, I have my reasons!" Noire defended.

Then Cameron realized something. 'She… she said she _lost_ her memory. She shouldn't know that she cosplays… unless she just remembered.'

Either way, he decided to keep this all to himself for the time being. Who knows, it could work out later for him.

Anyway, IF was looking at Neptune and Noire. "Now, now you two. This isn't the place to argue. Chian, we're going to be leaving, but is there anything else?"

"So soon?" Chian asked. "Let me at least treat you all to some good eating before you go."

Soon afterward, the six were sitting down at one of the larger tables, with Chian joining them to talk while they ate.

"Urmghbrug! Sof derifosh!" Neptune tried to speak, but couldn't through her mouth of food. Swallowing hard, she continued. "Ah, Chian, this burger is jaw dropping!"

"This soup is so tasty! I feel all warm inside." Compa added.

"It's my mother's pride menu. Happy to know you're all enjoying it." Chian said, smiling.

Noire was simply picking at her food. "It's really lavish, but… are you sure I can join in as well?"

"Just dig in and enjoy. After all, food tastes better with more people." Chian told Noire.

"Yeah, just enjoy it. Oh, but it doesn't come with a 'pillow fight' though." IF said quickly, eating her own steak.

"Th-that's Neptune's fault." Noire defended. "It's not like I wanted to do anything to her."

Cameron facepalmed a little. 'Oh great. A tsundere. How perfect.' he thought to himself. 'How did I not see it before?'

Fortunately, no one noticed him. IF was simply shaking her head while saying, "Sure, whatever you say. I understand."

The conversation was hijacked, however, when Neptune started to gag a little in disgust. "Bleh… who added these eggplants?! They deserve to die!"

"Nep-Nep… you don't like eggplants?" Compa asked timidly. Neptune, oddly enough, rarely made sudden outbursts of anger when she was in her normal form, so this surprised everyone at the table.

"Don't like?" Neptune asked as if Compa was trying to make her believe pudding was illegal, "More like hate! How can you eat these purple husks, Compa? Wait, I know! Food can sometimes help jog memories, right? Let's have Noire eat it!"

Noire looked a little confused, but IF spoke up first. "Nep, you're not a little kid. Stop being picky and eat."

"What are you saying Iffy?! Forcing food can sometimes be dangerous! If my delicate body ate these…"

Neptune then proceeded to put on a mock scared face, while saying, "Oh, the horrors. The HORRORS I say!"

"Then stop handing them over to me." Cameron replied bluntly, pushing the eggplants back to Neptune's plate, away from his dinner. "And just eat already."

But IF was done with diplomacy. She grabbed one of the eggplants on Nep's place and forced it into her mouth. "Urm?! I-Iffy, st-stop… urm!" Neptune choked out.

"Can no one else be civil at the dining table?" Cameron asked himself, knowing that no one was going to hear him.

"Hey Nep, maybe the food will jog your memory too?" IF said loudly.

"Urghmurgh! I-Iffy, please… st… op…" Neptune gagged out again.

Noire couldn't say anything. She just watched the strange spectacle in front of her. "I… I hope we're not being too loud here." Compa said softly.

"Not at all. It's just that I never had such a lively dinner before, so…" Noire explained to Compa and Cameron, who were on either side of her.

"Yeah well, if your staying with us for a while, you'll have to get used to it." Cameron commented, shaking his head at the flailing Neptune and IF.

"About that… is there anything I can do to help?" Noire said softly.

"Noire? Help us?" Compa asked.

Neptune somehow heard that and managed to get away from IF's grasp, a smile on her face as she looked at Noire. "Aah! So is Noire going to fight with us, too?"

"Yes. I'm pretty strong, so I could help everyone out a little bit." Noire replied.

"That's fine. We'd be happy, too, if you could help us." IF said, seemingly letting Neptune off the hook for now. "Besides, I'm getting tired of holding off the randomness these three generate."

"Hey! Since when have I been part of that random group?" Cameron shouted indignantly.

"I've kinda been seeing what you mean…" Noire said softly, so softly that only Cameron heard her.

 _Noire has been added to the party!_

"A party of five this early in the story! A pretty good start if you ask me." Neptune said happily.

"Well, if you're having a good start, mind doing one more job for me?" Chian asked, having returned from the back just now, explaining her lack of dialogue for the past few lines. "Can you use my weapon that I'm going to exhibit at the Technology Expo?"

"Technolo-what?" Compa asked, confused. "Is it like a festival thingy?"

"The Expo is held in Lastation, with companies showcasing their tech." Chian explained. "There's also a tournament where the winner can get a trophy from the CPU!"

"A trophy? What an achievement!" Neptune joked.

"Yeah, but… I doubt we can take down Avenir with just a trophy." Cameron mused.

"Right. But this is my plan: we go for the win, and meet the Lady, so that we can tell her what is going on!"

Noire couldn't say anything. Not because she didn't know what to say, but because she couldn't just reveal herself now. But the guilt of hiding her true self was eating her alive… she knew that this act wouldn't be able to last forever.

"I see. So that's why you want to participate?" Compa asked.

"Exactly. Which is why I need you to test out my weapon I'm going to exhibit." Chian replied.

"Easy-peasy! But what exactly do you need us to do?" Neptune asked.

In answer, Chian pulled out a large case, and drew from it a brand new sword. "Just use this weapon and give me feedback." she said, handing it to Cameron, the groups packmule.

"That's it? Sounds simple enough…" Cameron said, shoving the weapon into his bag somehow. Thank god for cheap and enchanted backpacks. "We could do some other quests later while we use it."

"Well then… how about doing some work for Avenir?" Noire suggested out of the blue. That caused Neptune to look at Noire as if she had just turned into a hideous monster.

"What?!" she screamed. "They're the bad guys! No way, no how am I going to work for them!"

"Cool your jets there Neptune." Cameron said. "Noire may be onto something…"

"What do you mean, Cameron?" Compa asked, tilting her head. It was always so cute when she did that.

"Well, think about it. Avenir has had to have had problems with getting materials like Chian, right?" he started.

"So, depending on the work, we may find out what they are going to exhibit." Noire tacked on. 'And I'll use this to find out what the Basilicom knows of Avenir…' she added in her thoughts.

Even Neptune had a hard time arguing with Cameron and Noire's logic. "Still… it doesn't feel right…"

"Well, I don't like Avenir either, but it's good to know who we're up against." IF said.

"Right. Like that old saying, 'Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer.'" Cameron said.

Still, even with all this, Neptune didn't look happy about it. "Hmm… well… if you say so Cameron…"

"Sure, just ignore me." IF whispered indignantly.

"You have it tough…" Noire said, patting IF's arm.

 _Later that day, back at the hotel…_

The sun was setting by the time our heroes finally reached the hotel. They gladly opened the door and realized that it was worth getting the pricy suite room. The place had three beds, a small kitchen, two bathrooms, the works. Perfect for the time that they would stay here.

Cameron quickly claimed the largest bed in the place, leaving the others to fend for the other two. It works out in the end anyway, as Neptune and Compa would probably join him later.

A few minutes passed, before a knock was heard on the door to Cameron's temporary room. "Yeah?" he called out.

"Me. Can I… come in?" Compa's voice said through the door.

"Uh, yeah, go ahead." Cameron said slowly.

The door creaked open, and in stepped a weary Compa. "I'm… so tired…" she said, nearly collapsing had Cameron not been quick enough.

"Woah there…" he chuckled under his breath, picking up the weak girl with ease and placing her down on the bed. "You really were drained from all the stuff that happened in the dungeon, huh?"

"Y… yes… I'm so… tired…" Compa replied, ready to pass out.

"Well don't worry. I'm sure that because of Noire, now we have a reason to stay here for a few days. Gotta give her wounds time to heal, right?" Cameron said, sitting down next to her.

Instantly, Compa's arms wrapped around him as she pulled herself up to hug him weakly. "Y-yeah… right."

"Awww…" Cameron said softly. His heart was unable to take how cute she was being right now. He embraced her back, whispering, "There there Compa… you can finally rest now. Take it easy. We aren't going anywhere for a while. The story was needing some downtime anyway."

Compa simply hugged him back a little tighter. For quite a good amount of time, those two simply stayed together like that, holding each other without talking. It was nice… but Cameron wanted a little more.

So he pulled away just a little bit. Compa looked up at him to see him looking down at her. They didn't break eye contact for at least a minute, until Cameron couldn't stand looking.

He softly kissed her, pulling her close to him again. Compa blushed deeply, but soon returned the kiss, so now it was perfect.

"Ca...Cam...ron…" Compa tried to speak through their kiss, but couldn't. So she gave up and kept the kiss going strong, trying as hard as she could to pull him even closer…

Until they realized that they weren't sitting anymore. Compa had apparently pulled so much that she had laid down on her back, with Cameron on top of her. They both blushed even harder from that.

"S-sorry." Compa said, pulling away from the kiss so that they could sit up again.

"It's… it's fine." Cameron replied, taking one of her small, delicate hands. "I… I love you Compa."

Compa didn't respond. She only closed her eyes as Cameron's words soaked into her. Her heart felt like it was swelling with happiness.

All and all, it was clear that she wasn't feeling nearly as tired anymore. She hugged him again, whispering into his ear, "And I love you too, Cameron."

There they stayed, simply cuddling together. To Cameron, it was the happiest time of his life. Much better than… eh?

"Hm?" Compa said, as Cameron pulled away suddenly. Cameron tried to focus. Something was surfacing for the first time. Was his memory already coming back?

An image came to mind…

 _A small room…_

 _Blue walls…_

 _Window with a TV next to it…_

 _He was laying on the bed, looking at his laptop…_

 _He seemed to be typing frantically about something…_

That was all he saw before the image faded.

"No… come on!" he complained softly, knocking on his forehead.

"Woah woah! Cameron, calm down!" Compa said, forcing him to stop smacking himself. "What was that about?"

"I… I remembered something. Like… just an image." Cameron said, trying hard to remember what he saw. But the image was already fading away from his memory, like it had never even been there. "I… I think it was my room."

"Your… your room?" Compa asked, brighting up. "This is good! What do you remember?"

"Blue… blue walls…" he said, straining to call back the image. "A… large window with… I think a TV close to it… and I think I was typing on a laptop…"

"Okay, okay…" Compa said, rubbing her chin. "Did you happen to get a glance out the window?"

"No… I didn't see anything because the curtains were drawn." Cameron said. "ARGH! Why can't I remember anything?!"

"Hey hey! Calm down… don't disturb the others…" Compa said softly, rubbing his back gently. "You can't force your memory to come back. Either it'll happen naturally, or… when we find Histy. Right?"

"Y… yeah. Of course… just… why did I forget?" Cameron asked softly. Everything that was before he woke up in Compa's room wasn't there. His entire life was just a blank slate.

But he knew something had to be there. Otherwise… why would he be alive? He needed to know what he was. Who he was.

Cameron sighed. "Well… whatever happens happens, I guess. Should I tell you if I ever remember something else?"

"Of course. Me, Neptune, Iffy… any of us. We will help you." Compa said, taking his hand gently. Cameron looked into her determined, pink eyes, and saw that she believed that they would find out the truth.

"You're… you're right. Together." he said, embracing Compa in a large hug. She wrapped her arms back around him and pulled him closer.

"Together…" they both said at the exact same time.

And together was right.

 **Welp, I think that's an alright place to leave off this chapter. Sorry that it wasn't longer, but I felt that if I kept going on, the chapter would take even longer to get out, which I wasn't cool with. I want to keep you all happy with the stuff I write, so I figured I'd get a chapter out now rather than later.**

 **Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed it, even if it was a bit shorter than normal. Hey, at least this one didn't take a month to get out, right?**

 **And… I have a question.**

 **See… I may have made the mistake of letting Neptune out of the cellar. And now that she knows I'm typing up a story about her… she wants to help. By leaving her own 'co-authors' notes in the story. I said I'd leave it up to you guys. So here's the question: Neptune talking to you guys about the story, yea or nay? It's up entirely to you.**

 **As always, if any of you have questions for me, PM me and I'll try to answer them as best as I can. As always guys, this is ButterHunter signing out for now, and until next time, stay awesome.**


	10. Eavesdropping, Threats, and Secrets

**Heeeeey… sorry…**

 **I… I know it's been a long time. Sorry. I've kinda been in a bad way. School is getting tougher, and not to mention work just started up again, so most of my weekends are now booked. But… here I am. I haven't died yet!**

 **So… enough rambling! Let's get back to business!**

Chapter 10: Eavesdropping, Threats, and Secrets

 _(Well, I knew no one could resist. Nep-Nep here! I knew that you readers wanted good old Neptune to keep you entertained. That poor author must have been keeping you all asleep. But I'm here now, so all is well! Look for these italics inside of (these) when I'm writing!)_

After Cameron and Compa had had their time together for now, Cameron wondered what he should do. They had at worst two or three days until Noire was healed, so he needed something to fill that time with.

He might as well see what Neptune was up to. And to be fair, she'd probably been dying for some alone time together.

He soon found her out on the small balcony, looking out at the slowly setting sun. Still about another hour or so until it completely disappeared from the sky.

He opened the door quietly and knocked on the outside. "Knock knock." he added.

"Oh, hey Cameron. Just… sitting out here." Neptune said with a soft smile, scooting over and patting the bench next to her. Cameron sat down quickly, looking at the sun as well.

For a few minutes, neither of them said anything. They just sat in peace and quiet.

Then Neptune cleared her throat. "*ahem*... Cam-Cameron?"

Cameron glanced over to see that now Neptune was sporting a hearty blush. "Yeah, Neptune?"

"Umm… just…" she started, glancing around nervously. "I… I just wondered that…"

"Yeah? Spit it out."

"Umm… just… I wanted to make sure of something." Neptune said, a soft blush on her face. "You… are you absolutely sure that you… you care?"

Cameron was confused. "What? Care? Like… care about you guys? The answer is yes! Of course I care about you guys!"

"No… I know that already." Neptune said quickly. "I meant… care about what we're doing. Care that we're even trying."

"What kind of question is that?" Cameron asked ludicrously. "Why wouldn't I care about what we're doing? I mean… our memories are gone! I barely have any idea where I even am! Of course I care about our mission. What reason would you have to think differently?"

"I… I'm sorry. Just… I was curious. I mean, you just willingly jumped into this whole mess of things, and… now I wonder if it's too late to turn back." Neptune said, her head hanging.

Seeing that, Cameron scooted closer to her and wrapped an arm around her. "Listen. If I never wanted to be a part of this, I would've left Compa's house way back at the beginning of the story. Hell, the author wouldn't have even MADE this story if I wanted to just give up. But I want to keep going. Not just for my sake, but for yours. For US. Then… maybe it'll all make sense."

Neptune stared at Cameron. "C… Cameron…"

She… she felt something rising in her chest. The more time she spent around him, the more she wanted to stay close to him. It… it was almost unbearable to stay away from him.

 _(Oh come on! You're making it sound almost too sappy! I mean, yeah, it happened, but still!)_

She almost started to say something, but was interrupted by Cameron shushing her. For a second, they stared into each other's eyes gently. Until they couldn't take it any more.

They quickly pulled themselves together in a soft kiss, wrapping each other in a tight hug. But no matter how close they got, they kept wanting to get closer.

And of course, that was the moment that IF came outside to the balcony, wanting to sit down and watch the sunset for a bit. But what she did see, was those two kissing away without a care in the world.

"W-what?! H-hey you two!" IF said out of instinct, only realizing that she made this about ten times worse on herself.

'Oh fuck.' Cameron thought.

'Oh shit.' Neptune thought at the same time.

 _(At least you got that part right. That was exactly what I was thinking when Iffy caught us. Good work.)_

They both separated to look at IF with very red, embarrassed faces. IF was blushing deeply as well, but she also had very wide eyes that were staring at the two. For the count of ten, the three didn't say anything. Then Cameron had to say something to try and defuse the situation.

 _(Long story short: it didn't do much.)_

"I-I-IF! It's… it's not… I mean… we were…" he tried to say something, but couldn't come up with the right words. What the hell should he say to something like this?

"I-Iffy… we… um…" Neptune also joined in, but not doing much to help. IF suddenly held up a hand in front of the two.

"I… I don't even want to know." IF said, turning around and walking away. Both Cameron and Neptune let out a breath they didn't even know they were holding.

"This… this isn't good." Cameron said softly.

"No shit it isn't." Neptune agreed. "What do we do?"

"Maybe… maybe we should talk to Compa. She's a part of this as well. Plus, it's better to get her take on it before IF gets to her." Cameron suggested.

Two minutes later Neptune was alone in Cameron's bedroom, waiting for Cameron to come back with Compa. 'I mean… I knew Iffy was going to find out sometime. I just was hoping it wouldn't have been this soon… what are we going to do?' she thought to herself as Cameron's footsteps came closer, followed by another pair.

The two of them entered the room, with Compa confused. "What… what happened?"

Neptune and Cameron quickly explained what had happened just outside on the balcony. The more they talked, the redder Compa's face became. When they finished, Compa… looked caught between a rock and a hard place. Pretty much sums up how the other two felt as well.

"So… now Iffy knows… what should we do?" Compa asked.

"Well… she only knows about me and Neptune." Cameron reasoned. "So… maybe if we're careful, we can keep her only knowing about that?"

But before anyone could say anything more, the door to the bedroom opened quickly, and there stood a bright red IF. "You… you three…"

If there was ever a time that the three could wish that they go back in time, it was now. Their faces burning, no one knew what they should say to defend themselves.

"I… IF?! You were… eavesdropping?!" Cameron shouted ludicrously. How dare she eavesdrop on their private conversation!

 _(To be fair, the door was open a bit.)_

 **(Maybe so, but still. Eavesdropping… not cool.)**

 _(Hey, stop talking to me and keep going! I thought we both agreed on this…)_

"I… I…" IF stammered. Maybe she took a bit more than she bargained for. Because now she had three people, her friends no less, looking angrily and embarrassedly at her. She needed to say something, and fast.

"L-look…" IF started again, the stammer clearing up a little bit. "I… I don't know when this all happened. Frankly, I'm not sure I WANT to know. But what I do know, is that whatever is going on between you three… it doesn't bother me."

That threw the other three for a loop. They had thought for sure that IF would have at least SOME sort of hesitations or something like that about those three being together.

"You… you don't care?" Cameron asked slowly.

"Of course I care!" IF said angrily, before calming down a little bit. "I just… don't want to have to be a part of whatever is going on in your minds. If you three want to love each other… go for it. But just please don't try to drag me into it."

With her mind said, IF quickly stepped back, and shut the door. Her footsteps were heard quite plainly traveling down the hall, becoming softer…

And the three were left speechless.

"What… what just happened?" Neptune asked.

"Maybe it was the product of the author not sure of what to put for this scene…" Cameron said, though softly.

 _(Damn Author, you like to burn yourself a lot. If you could please stop doing that though, because that's MY job, okay? Okay.)_

Whatever the hell just happened, suddenly the group felt the need to start going to bed. It was getting late by now.

So by 9:00, the three were together in the bed again, cuddling away. Cameron, for a change, was now the first one to fall asleep, leaving the other girls awake to think.

Neptune was still thinking about what had happened with IF. Now the secret's out. What's going to happen because of it? And would IF try to do something with that new information that she has about them?

Compa was thinking about more or less those same things, but there was something bigger than that she was thinking about. Cameron's memory. He had started to remember something. Even if it was a brief snippet of it, it was something.

She glanced over at Cameron's peaceful face. A soft smile slowly started to play on her lips, as she slowly wrapped her arms around one of his own. Maybe she shouldn't worry about those things right now. Right now, they needed sleep, and a bunch of it. Slowly, her eyes closed, and she passed out with a big smile on her lips soon after.

Neptune, however, still couldn't fall asleep. Not that she wasn't tired, but because she had so much to think about. Plus, she felt that if she fell asleep, she'd just wake right back up, though as to why she could tell at the moment.

 _(Answer: Because the story needed to give me my turn in the spotlight again! Goooo Nep-Nep!)_

Then, she heard something. It was faint, sure, but she was sure that she heard something. She slowly sat up, being careful to not wake anyone. It almost sounded like… someone talking.

Taking that as a sign to embarrass someone, Neptune quickly threw on her clothes again and made her way down the hallway. At the far right door, light was pouring in from the door frame, and soft talking was heard behind it.

"Ta-da!" Neptune thought she heard. "I just bought a pair of eyeglasses. As long as I have these, no one can find out who I am."

Neptune reached the door, but decided to wait for a second to see if she could hear anything else. By now she knew that it was Noire talking, but… what was she going on about?

"Now let's give this a try. Let's see… mirror… mirror…" A few seconds passed before Noire spoke again. "Hm… not bad. In fact, I think I look pretty good in these. These should work to be able to hide my identity."

Behind the door, Noire was looking into the mirror closely. "I never really tried eyeglasses on before, but… I think I can handle it."

Noire went through several sprites, looking at herself using different expressions, from happy, angry, upset, before she nodded happily to herself. "I got that 'I can do anything!' look to me. Pretty cool. Maybe I should keep them for when I have to work at a desk or something. Heh heh… oh I know! Maybe I should show these to Neptune tomorrow…"

She paused for a second, before realizing what she just said. "Wait, why am I getting cozy with her?! *sigh* It isn't a good thing for me, getting friendly with Neptune…"

But whatever else she would've said was lost when Neptune suddenly barged in, a big smile on her face. "Noire! Let's go eat some pudding together!"

Noire was so surprised by that, she fell over flat on her face, knocking the glasses off. "Whoops, did I surprise you? Sorry." Neptune said, grinning from ear to ear.

 _(I wasn't sorry. It was worth it.)_

"You… didn't hear what I was saying, right?" Noire said quickly, looking very worried.

Neptune looked confused. She HAD heard Noire talking, but was too focused on trying to startle her to actually hear much of anything. "Huh? What do you mean?"

"Oh, no, never mind." Noire said, a small amount of relief on her face. "I was just mumbling something embarrassing to myself."

"Oooh! Now I want to know!" Neptune said, instantly switching to teasing mode. "Aaah! What kind of embarrassing thing could Noire have been saying? Maybe she was singing a song she made?! Wow, that would be VERY embarrassing!"

"W-what are you saying?!" Noire asked, blushing the smallest bit. "Who would do such a stupid thing like that?!"

Noire shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts. "Anyway, you came here for something else, right?"

"Oh yeah!" Neptune said, remembering something. Reaching behind her, she quickly said, "Here you go!"

"What is…"

"Pudding! It's really good!" Neptune said happily, pulling out two small bowls of pudding from behind her back.

"Well, yes, that's obvious, but…" Noire started, but Neptune quickly interrupted.

"Um… I got pudding from Chian, so I wanted to share it with you!" she said quickly. Noire's face became stony.

"No." she said bluntly. "Why don't you eat it by yourself?"

"I want to eat it with N-O-I-R-E!" Neptune persisted. "C'mon! Please?"

Noire sighed, before continuing again, "I'm not nice enough to spend my precious time to be be with you. I'll say it again… eat the pudding by yourself. I'm stepping out."

"This late? Where are you going?" Neptune asked, tilting her head to the side.

"I'm just going out for a short stroll. I want to be alone for a while." Noire said, still stony.

Halfway down the street a minute later, Noire glanced over her shoulder to see Neptune not far behind her, still clutching those pudding cups. "...why are you following me? I thought I said that I wanted to be alone."

"It's dangerous to go alone! Take Nep!" Neptune said.

"For what reason?!" Noire said, quickly losing her cool. At that very moment, Chian came around the block, presumably also taking a nighttime stroll.

"Hey gals. As friendly as usual, eh?" she said with a smile. "Don't make too much noise now, you hear?"

"You see Neptune? We were scolded because of you!" Noire almost yelled angrily at Neptune.

"Ahahaha. So sorry to have Noire make so much noise, Chian." Neptune apologized, much to the anger of Noire again. "Speaking of, Chian, what were you doing out at this hour?"

"I was having a meeting with the other factories in prep for the Expo" Chian explained. "There's a lot of skilled craftsman working in the local factories to help. The plan is simple: make a great item to meet Lady Black Heart. Everyone I met there is really hopeful for this plan as well. I even got some people who lost their jobs come out to help us."

"Sounds like it's gonna be a full-on battle then!" Neptune said excitedly.

"To be fair, the Expo this time around holds the future of Lastation." Chian reminded her. "That said, I'm counting on you folks. I'm expecting only the best."

"You can certain count on us! Isn't that right, Noire?" Neptune said gleefully. Noire stayed silent, but gave a small nod.

 _(Gee, Noire almost never showed emotion around us at first, huh? Tsun-tsun…)_

After that, Neptune started to get tired, finally able to forget her worries for the time. She made her way back to the hotel and found her room, with those two still in the same places they had been before. Quietly, she changed back into some pajamas and crawled into bed, but not before softly kissing Cameron on the cheek again.

Back with Noire, she was making her way back now, realizing how tired she was once Neptune left. 'Stupid Neptune… following me when I said not to…' she thought to herself.

Once she got into her room, she changed into a black nightgown and let down her hair. She never wanted to know what happens if she slept with her hair still in twin tails. She was about to crawl into bed, until she realized that she needed a bit of water. Hey, even goddesses need food and water every now and then.

Anyway, as she walked down the hall to the kitchen, she wondered how everyone was still able to sleep. I mean, there were only three bedrooms, and they let her take one without a second thought.

As she made her way back, a glass of water in her hand, she couldn't help but overhear a certain guy talking softly in his sleep from one of the nearby bedrooms. Noire almost resisted, but gave in due to sheer curiosity and leaned against the door.

Behind it, Cameron was talking to himself about seemingly nothing. Noire almost cracked a grin when he said something about food monsters or something along those lines.

Then… his voice became clearer. He still sounded like he was asleep, but… it was almost like he was talking to someone. Noire's eyes widened, but she nevertheless continued to listen as Cameron had some sort of conversation with someone or something.

"I… I never wanted this…"

"I thought you would protect me!"

"Of course I did what I did! I had no choice!"

"What would you do in my case?! HUH?!"

"Leave me alone! Leave me… alone… leave…"

His voice calmed down, and he slowly stopped talking, now only snoring gently. Noire was confused, and for good reason.

'What… what the hell was that about?'

 _Time skip to 12:00 pm, the next day…_

The group awoke the next day to find that rain was pouring down on Lastation. Thankfully they had decided to stay away from quests and stuff for now, until Noire had healed fully. Which would be a lot sooner than expected. When Compa checked under the bandages to see the cuts before she replaced them again, she was surprised to find that at least half of them had disappeared, while the rest didn't look nearly as bad before. When questioned about that, Noire only shrugged before saying that had always recovered from injuries fast before.

Anyway, Noire was hiding out in her room again, wondering what was going to happen. At best, she knew her wounds would be gone by tomorrow, the next day by the latest. She was glad she managed to come up with an excuse about why she healed faster than humans, when in reality being a goddess allowed her to heal at twice, sometimes three times the rate of normal humans. Handy to have, but right now it was being a bit troublesome.

She was suddenly pulled from her thoughts when a loud knocking was heard on her door. The door opened up, and Cameron poked his head through. "Hey. I'm not interrupting anything, am I?"

"I… I guess not." Noire said slowly, still not sure about what his deal was. Cameron fully stepped in, much to Noire's confusion. "What…"

"I just figured that… since we have to stay together for the time being, we might as well get to know each other a bit more. Well… more so me knowing you."

"Wait… you lost your memory too?" Noire said, her eyes widening.

"Yeah, apparently the author has a thing for memory loss cliches or something." Cameron said, standing by the door a bit awkwardly. "So… I want to know something."

Noire looked the smallest bit afraid of what the question was about to be. Cameron paused for a second before a grin came to his face. "You like cosplay, eh?"

Between Noire's babbling and her face becoming redder and redder by the second, he knew he guessed correctly. "You might have told us a bit too much about yourself yesterday." he teased.

"I… no… that's… ah… um…" Noire said, trying to think of a way to defend herself.

"Hey, I'm not judging." Cameron said. "You're entitled to like whatever you want."

Noire visibly relaxing, before remembering that she told Neptune about her love of cosplay. "Um… I don't know it it's possible, but… do you think you can do something about Neptune? I mean… she seems like she'll tease me to high heaven now that she knows."

"Heh." Cameron chuckled. "I'll see what I can do. Mind you, it'll probably involve a metric ton of pudding, but I'll see what I can do."

 _(Correction: TWO metric tons of pudding. No less.)_

"Thank you…" Noire said, sighing deeply.

"You know, that reminds me something…" Cameron said off-handedly.

"Mm?"

"You said that you like that stuff, right?"

"Yeah, so?"

"I just find it a bit weird that you would remember that…"

Noire looked confused. "What do you…?"

"I just saying." Cameron said, his voice becoming slightly deeper. "It's interesting that you'd say that, even though your memory is gone. Very odd, don't you think?"

Noire finally understood. 'Oh no… he's too smart for me. Gotta think fast…'

"Um, well, you see… ah…" Noire started.

"Noire. Just tell me something." Cameron said softly. "You remember everything, don't you? I don't know who you really are, but whatever it is, is it really worth hiding it from us? Do you really think we're gonna judge you for something that you really are?"

"I…" Noire said, still trying to find a way out of this rabbit hole she's dug herself into. "That's…"

Cameron sighed. Clearly she was a big time loner, and she really didn't know how to deal with situations like this. "Look. You can keep doing what you're doing for now. I don't really care too much about that. But you listen to me."

Suddenly, in a flash, Noire found herself on her back, Cameron pinning her down and his face getting right in her's. "Know one thing and one thing only." he said coldly, looking pissed. "If you EVER, and I mean EVER, hurt any of us with evil intent, I swear you will have a very BAD time. Understood?"

 _(... Damn… I mean, I knew you could be scary at times, but… that's a full blown threat right there. Even I would have to listen to that.)_

Noire, too shocked about Cameron's sudden attitude change, nodded instantly. Just like that, he stood back up, straightened his shirt again, and looked at Noire. She was a little bit pale from Cameron's sudden transformation into… whatever that was.

"S-sorry…" he said, his tone normal again. "I… might have gone a bit overboard there. But I don't like having other people screw around with the ones I care about. You understand?"

Noire slowly nodded, once again thinking that Cameron was… strange, to say the least.

"*sigh*... Thank you. Now, I think I said everything I wanted to, so I'll take my leave now." Cameron said, heading to the door. Suddenly, last night flashed into Noire's head, about his sleep talking. Should… should she say anything?

"H-hey, wait." Noire called out. Cameron poked his head back in, tilted in a questioning manner.

"Umm… I… shoot… sorry, I forgot." Noire said, confused. She had meant to tell him, but… she didn't. "I'll… I'll tell you later, if I remember."

Cameron narrowed his eyes, not fully believing her. "Ohh kaaay then." he said slowly, stepping out and closing the door behind him.

'What… what? Why… couldn't I tell him? Why?' she asked herself. Was it she didn't have the courage to? Afraid of what his reaction would be?

Whatever the reason was, she had been completely unable to tell Cameron. Maybe… maybe it wouldn't matter too much. After all… his memory was gone. What could he possibly do with what she had on him?

 _(Uh, THE WHOLE WORLD?! Noire, what were you thinking?!)_

Back with Cameron, he was thinking about what Noire had said just before he left. It was obvious to him that she was holding information from him, that much he understood. But what was it? Noire didn't seem like the type of person to simply forget things she was thinking about.

'I'll have to get more on her good side.' Cameron thought. 'Then maybe she'll open up a bit more. She's a tsundere though… that'll definitely complicate things.'

Brushing it off for now, he wandered around the hotel room, listening to the gentle pitter-patter of the rain.

A few minutes later, he heard footsteps heading for the exit. He made it over just in time to see IF about to open the door and head out. "IF?"

IF froze in place. "Oh… yeah, Cameron? What is it?" she said quickly, glancing around.

"Where are you going? You don't even have an umbrella." Cameron asked.

"Umm… I'm just going around the block for a second. I… I need to think about something." IF responded, quickly opening the door and practically running out.

At that exact moment, Neptune came around the corner and saw Cameron's confused face. "Ah… did Iffy just run out?"

Cameron nodded. "What was that about? Did you tease her again?"

"Um, I may do that all the time, but no. This time… she just looked at me and Compa for a bit without saying anything and then… ran out. I don't know what we did this time. Honest!"

 _(This is true. I had absolutely no idea at the time. At least you're getting MOST of this right, author.)_

"Oh great…" Cameron moaned, grabbing one of the umbrellas from the coat closet. "I'll be back. Please don't destroy the hotel while I'm gone."

Neptune wanted to argue, but Cameron already left the building before she could get another word out.

 _(Like I would destroy something that didn't belong to me… mostly.)_

In the main lobby, he asked the guy working at the counter if he had seen a girl with a large blue coat run out of the hotel. The clerk responded by saying he had seen someone like that running out and to the left.

Even with those directions, it wasn't much else to go on. Soon enough ten minutes had passed, and still no sign of IF.

At the very least, the rain was starting to clear up a bit, which still didn't say much. But IF must be freezing out here, getting drenched in all the cold water.

"Ugh… what I would give for waypoints right now…" Cameron complained softly to himself. "Or at least a mini map. Then maybe I could have a better idea where…"

But he stopped talking when, rounding a corner, he saw IF. She was in that park from before when the group first arrived at Lastation, sitting on the bench. Rain was coming down gently on her, and she looked really cold.

Cameron slowly approached, until he was right next to her. Clearing his throat gently, he said, "You know… there's better times to be going out in rain storms."

IF looked up to see his gentle face. "C-Cameron? Wha-... did you follow me here?"

"No, I found you. I just got here." he replied, holding his umbrella so that they both were shaded from the rain.

IF was soaked from head to toe. Thankfully, she must have left her cell phones at the hotel, because they were nowhere on her belt. But still, everything about her was dripping heavily with water. Don't even get started on her coat.

For a few more moments, no one said anything. Then IF sighed. "You… you shouldn't have followed me here. I… I want to be alone."

"IF…" Cameron said softly.

"Please… can I just be alone for a while?" IF asked gently.

"IF… can I just ask you one thing? Please." Cameron asked. Without waiting for a verbal response, he asked, "What happened? Why did you run out like that?"

"I… I don't want to talk about that right now." IF said, turning away from him.

'Ugh… she's not gonna tell me. This might take longer than one chapter to get through…' Cameron thought to himself.

"Please IF? Please tell me. You know that if something's wrong, you should tell someone. So why can't you just tell me?" he asked again. "Is it really worth sitting out here in this freezing rain?"

IF started to argue a bit, but then gave up. Cameron was being so stubborn about nothing…

No. It WAS something. She couldn't lie to herself.

But the real question was, was it wise to simply tell him? After all, he had no idea what her problem was…

Suddenly, she was pulled out of her thoughts when Cameron sat down next to her. He didn't say anything, he simply sighed. The bench as cold and horribly wet, but he didn't really care about that. IF stared at him for a second, before deciding to scoot closer to him to get under his umbrella better.

That got Cameron's attention. He glanced at her, but still didn't say anything. He wondered what he should try next. I mean obviously IF was going to stay this hardheaded for… at best a little while longer.

"You…" IF started softly, staring at the ground. She would have said more, but a shiver from the cold rain escaped her, making her stop.

A second of hesitation later, and Cameron scooted even closer and wrapped his left arm around IF, trying to help keep her warm.

"Wha…?" IF started, but stopped when she realized what he was doing. For a long time, that's how they stayed. Watching the rain pour down in buckets under the safety of their umbrella.

Then IF sighed again. Without even realizing it, she had leaned her head on his shoulder comfortably. He was very warm…

'Eugh… stop thinking like that!' IF told herself. 'This… this is just him being kind… right?'

IF gave herself one last sigh, before speaking once again.

"You… you really want to know the truth?"

 **Whew! Finally got this done! Holy shit, that took WAY, WAY too long to get out! It's been like, what, almost a month since I posted? Jeez… welp, now I'd better get back to my other story. I'm… still working on it at the time of this upload. (Lemon scenes are hard to type… not because I can't. But it's so freaking awkward…)**

 **ANYWAY…**

 **So, I hope you guys did enjoy this chapter! Again, I'm REALLY sorry this took so long to get out. I've kinda been out of a typing mood recently, so when I have typed, it was either for really short periods or I switched over to something else.**

 **(Speaking of which, I have news. I'm posting this on both stories when I finish the next OBaaT chapter. I may or may not have several story ideas for the near/far future. In fact, I have three stories I've not posted yet, mostly because I already struggle with just two. So… keep your eyes peeled for new stories maybe coming soon.)**

 **And uhh… one more thing. Just in case… I feel like I'm experimenting quite a lot in this story with text combos. So just in case anyone is lost, how about I give you all this handy text guide!**

 _(Italics inside parentheses)_ : Neptune's author's notes.

 **(Bold inside parentheses)** : Small author's notes.

 **Bold** : Author's notes. Only at the beginning and end of chapters.

 _Italics_ : Usually used as a some sort of time change. But may also be a memory a character is seeing. It will be very obvious when each is happening.

" _Italics inside quote marks"_ : Normally Histoire talking, (this story only) but may also be an unknown voice of someone unseen.

 **So yeah… I think that's about all of them. I hope this legend helps keep track of what means what.**

 **As always, if you guys have any question for me, PM me and I'll do my best to answer them. Until next time, stay awesome.**


	11. Headaches and Heartaches

**What is up my awesome readers out there! It's ButterHunter here, back with another chapter that did not take twenty years to get out!**

 **No more chit-chat! ONWARD!**

Chapter 11: Headaches and Heartaches

"You… you really want to know the truth?"

Those words were barely above a whisper, but Cameron could still hear her loud and clear.

"Y-yes… I do. If something wrong with you IF… then you have to tell me. What's wrong?" Cameron asked.

IF glanced over to the left, then to the right. It was an unmistakable gesture of checking that no one else was around. But she should have realized that anyone with any sense would still be inside, sipping tea by the fireplace and listening to the rain, not out in the middle of it.

"W-well… back at the hotel room…"

 _Several minutes before…_

IF was just sitting down in the living room, relaxing like she should on a day like this. It was quite nice, and she was even thinking about pulling out a book or something to read.

Then Neptune showed up.

"Hey Iffy! Have you seen Compa?"

"Yeah, I just did. I think Compa is in the kitchen." IF responded, leaning back in her chair.

"You called for me Nep-Nep?" Compa had said, walking in at that moment.

"Oh, there you are Compa. I want to talk to you quickly. Come on…"

The two of them retreated to the far end of the room, where they started talking quickly but quietly about something. What it was, IF didn't know.

Seeing those two talking together… something stirred away gently in her mind. Something that she couldn't quite pin down exactly. She remembered the conversation she had had yesterday about them liking Cameron. Honestly, what really hit a nerve with her wasn't the fact that they liked him. That, she could understand. After all, he practically lived with them now. And given how he spoke, it didn't seem like he had much of a home to go back to, at least not at the moment.

No, what really got on her nerves was the fact that they almost tried to hide it. And they seemed to have done a somewhat decent job of it. If they really cared about each other that much, why would they try to hide it?

 _(...because we weren't sure how'd you take it?)_

Then she realized something. IF was alone. She… she didn't have a guy in her life that cared for her. But Neptune and Compa did… it sent a bad taste through her mouth.

She was so wrapped up in her thoughts, she didn't see or hear Neptune and Compa walking over until one spoke. "Iffy? Are you okay? You're making a face." Compa asked.

IF shook her head to clear it, then looked up. No… she was jealous of these two? How could she be jealous?!

 _(Everyone has to feel jealous of the mighty Nep sometime! That's, like, cosmic rule.)_

Out of fear that she might say something that she might regret, she stood up quickly and ran for the door, not saying anything. The twin stares of Compa and Neptune followed her as she ran…

 _Back to the present…_

Cameron remained silent as IF spoke gently. Once she finished, she was close to crying. She was acting like a little girl, yet she couldn't help it.

"So… so that's why I ran out…" she said softly. "Be… because I was jealous, and afraid. I… I don't want to feel jealous, but I do."

"IF…" Cameron said softly, still holding her tightly. By now the rain had finally reduced itself to a light drizzle, but he didn't notice.

"*sigh*... you're really stubborn, you know that?" IF said, smiling just a little bit.

"That wasn't me trying to be stubborn." Cameron said softly, releasing IF. "That was me trying to help a friend. I'll do anything I can to help my friends, even if it makes my life miserable. Because I care."

IF looked directly at Cameron as he continued. "As long as my friends are happy, I'm happy. That includes you IF. Like it or not, you're my friend. I… I don't want to think about what would happen if we lose you."

 _(*choke*... scuse me… it's too much… sappiness…)_

IF didn't know what to say. He looked tired almost, but still had a burning fire in him. A fire to help, protect, and care for his friends. And slowly, that fire was building back into IF.

As well as something else.

Cameron looked like he had spoken his mind. "Well… maybe we should go. We've been gone for a long time now, almost two chapters. The others are probably worried sick."

"Hold on… just one more thing." IF said, pulling Cameron back to the bench.

"Mm?"

"Just… do you think Neptune can forgive me?"

Cameron chuckled a little bit. "I don't think there's anything to be forgiven about. You ran out, but that's about all you did. Why would Neptune get mad about that?"

"N-no… not about that." IF said softly, still holding him by the hand.

"Then… then what?" Cameron asked, confused.

IF closed her eyes gently. What she was about to do would change everything for her. For both of them. But… she felt compelled to.

No… more that that. She felt… that she NEEDED to.

"Do you think she can forgive me… for this?" IF said, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him.

"Mmph?!" Cameron managed. Once again his eyes were wide with shock at IF's sudden actions. At first, he tried to pull away, but quickly slowed down as he started to relax.

Ten seconds later, IF broke the kiss, blushing deeply. "Um… s-sorry… I… I…" she tried to start.

"I-IF…" Cameron said softly. His arms wrapped around the soggy, blushing IF.

 _(Oh man… if I was there when that happened… I'd probably still be teasing them to this DAY! Hehehehe…)_

They didn't say anything else for a long time. Finally, Cameron glanced at his watch again and saw that thirty minutes had passed since he started looking for IF. "Oh shit… we'd better get back to the hotel. We've been gone for so long."

"Y… yeah… we should…" IF said gently, holding Cameron's arm lovingly. Cameron picked up the umbrella, which he hadn't realized he had dropped, and held it up. It was still sprinkling a little bit, and he wanted to at least try help IF keep from getting anymore drenched.

Slowly, the two walked slowly, IF clinging to his arm. A few strands of wet hair still clung to her face. Cameron gently brushed them to the sides.

"I… I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that." IF said suddenly a few seconds later. "I mean, you already have those two, and now I bet I've made you feel like you owe me, and…"

"Shhh… calm down IF." Cameron said, pulling her off to the side again. "It's alright. Don't talk like that."

"B-but…" IF tried to argue. "W-when Neptune…"

"Shhh…" Cameron shushed again, lowering himself down a little bit more to look into IF's eyes. "There's nothing wrong here. You're making a big deal out of nothing. Don't worry. Anything happens, I can do the talking, alright? Just calm down for me."

Slowly, IF did calm herself down. She nodded slowly, taking deep breaths. When she looking back into Cameron's eyes, she lost control of herself and kissed him again. Thankfully by now, Cameron was ready to accept that, and returned her kiss wholeheartedly.

With each passing second that they kissed, they slowly wanted to become closer and closer to each other. They were in their own little world. Just them two, with their little black umbrella, kissing gently in the rain.

As the rain washed away their fears.

 _Several hours later…_

Cameron was laying down on his hotel bed, tired. The past few hours had just been spent explaining what had happened out in the rain, and Neptune was _quite_ eager to start teasing the two. Negotiations were made, and they finally settled that as long as Neptune gets an extra two puddings a day, she won't tease anyone.

...nearly as bad.

 _(Did you really expect anything else?)_

"*sigh*... Well, less teasing is better than full on. And besides, it's Neptune. Everyone knows her teasing is lighthearted, for the most part." Cameron said to himself.

Still, bartering with Neptune wasn't exactly easy. But at least the deed was done, so everyone could move on with their lives.

Just then, a knock was heard on Cameron's door. Without even waiting for a response, it opened and in came Neptune again, grinning broadly.

"Someone kissed Iffy, someone kissed Iffy…" Neptune gently sang, her grin becoming even bigger. All Cameron could do was blush and take it.

"*sigh*... we've already established this Neptune." he said, sitting up.

"And I'm never gonna let you forget it either." Neptune replied, closing the door and standing in front of Cameron.

Cameron groaned. "I shouldn't be surprised. This is Neptune we're talking about. Give you an inch and you'll pounce all over it."

"Yeah, and you love me for it buddy." Neptune agreed, sitting down next to him.

"Heh, sure. Nothing but love over here." Cameron chuckled.

They were silent for a little bit longer, until Neptune remembered something.

"Sooo… you talked to Noire, huh?"

"Mm?" Cameron asked. "Oh, yeah, I did. How'd you know?"

Neptune grinned again. "I didn't till just now. Ooh, what did my Cameron and stubborn Noire do behind that door? Ooh, I can just see it now…"

"Enough, enough!" Cameron said, blushing even further. He absolutely hated when people made assumptions first, then asked questions. Unfortunately, that summed up Neptune almost perfectly.

 _(Oh come on! Don't say that about me! You love me all the same!)_

"Awww, what's wrong? Don't want to lie to Neptune?" Neptune asked rhetorically. Then she got close to his ear, and whispered, "You know, your girlfriend? Well, one of them, anyway."

Cameron didn't know what he should say next. What should he have said?

He decided to go with gut instinct. "Look Neptune, nothing happened back there. I simply talked to Noire and gave her a proper introduction to myself. That's all."

He left out the fact that he knew Noire did still have her memory with her. If he spilled the beans in front of Neptune, Noire would never forgive him again.

"Really? That's all? You're so boring sometimes…" Neptune said, frowning a bit in disappointment. "Oh well. In due time author. In due time."

"In due time my ass." Cameron retorted. "The author is gonna have a field day trying to piece together how I'd get together with that tsundere. I guarantee it."

"Maybe so." Neptune agreed. "Either way, the author will think of something. One way or the other, right?"

"Doubtful." Cameron said.

"And I thought Noire was stubborn."

"Oh be quiet. You're just looking for an excuse to break the fourth wall again."

"So are you. Don't pretend you don't like it."

"I only break it when the story needs slight comic relief. I mean, did you even read that bit way back in Chapter 5? That timing was golden!"

"Whatever you say buddy." Neptune said, shoving Cameron lightly. Cameron grinned and shoved back gently. They did that back and forth for a while, until Neptune got cheeky and pushed harder than normal, throwing Cameron and herself down.

With a soft _FWUMP!_ sound, now Neptune was on top of Cameron, staring down at him. For an awkward few seconds, they stared at each other, not exactly sure what to say about what had just happened.

"U-ummm… I… I didn't…" Neptune said, uncharacteristically at a loss for words.

 _(Unchara… uncarata… man, that's a hard word to say. But I'll just roll with it for now. Where's that dictionary…)_

"N-Neptune…" Cameron said, blushing slightly but not breaking eye contact.

"I-I… I'm sorry. I didn't…" Neptune said quickly, starting to get off him. But she didn't expect Cameron's hands to clamp around her shoulders, locking her in place. "C-Cameron…?"

"I-it's… it's alright… you don't have to go… if you don't want to." Cameron said softly, blushing a bit deeper. Neptune returned the blush, but… she didn't move.

For at least twenty more seconds, twenty long, embarrassing seconds, the two of them just kinda… stayed there. Both were hoping that the other would make the first move.

Then Cameron's hands slowly worked upward, resting right on Neptune's cheeks. At the same time, Neptune's arms wrapped around Cameron's neck.

"I… I love you… Neptune." Cameron said, before lightly pulling down. Neptune gave no resistance as the pair softly kissed.

The kiss was soft. Neptune was in bliss. Even if she really liked to tease the everliving hell out of him, she absolutely loved Cameron. At at moment, nothing else mattered. Not even pudding mattered then. Just them two together, kissing away without a care in the whole world.

 _(That's a blatant lie and you know it. Pudding will ALWAYS matter to me!)_

Unfortunately, they still needed to breathe. So they had to pull away at some point. But once they caught their breath, they kissed again. And again. Over and over. At some point they pulled each other back into a sitting position, without realizing nor caring about it. They just wanted to stay together like this forever…

And then the knock on the door came.

The dirty looks those two shot at the door were matched by nothing else. "Who is it?" Cameron said, adding in an undertone to Neptune, "This better be good, or I'm gonna go ballistic."

 _(Not if I did first.)_

"Cameron? Are you in here?" the voice of Noire called out.

Cameron and Neptune's anger melted into confusion. Noire had only come out of her temporary room every so often. Always at mealtimes, and sometimes every now and then to sit and talk with the others, but more or less always stayed away.

So why was she out now?

"One second." Cameron called out, kissing Neptune on the forehead one more time before separating from her arms. "We'll continue this in a little bit." he said softly, much to the happiness of Neptune.

Cameron walked over to the door and pulled it open a crack, seeing Noire right there. "Something up?"

"Umm…" Noire started, looking around a bit. "I was just thinking that I could talk to you for a bit. I mean, Compa just told me that we'd most likely be going out tomorrow, so I wanted to say something… important."

"Uh… I… I guess. Come on in." Cameron replied, stepping away. Noire looked grateful right up until she opened the door. Once she saw Neptune sitting down on the bed, she immediately tensed up.

"W-w-what are you doing here?!" Noire said, realizing that that was the reason she hadn't seen her in the hotel room as she made her way here.

"Oh, we… we were just talking about things." Neptune fibbed, the tiniest blush coming to her face. "I… I'll come back later."

 _(Ugh… that was really embarrassing… thank cod I managed to get away before anymore blush covered my face.)_

With that, Neptune hastily exited the room, much to the confusion of Noire. "No teasing, no cheeky grin… is something wrong with her?"

"Don't… don't worry about it." Cameron lied. "Anyway, you wanted to speak to me?"

Noire didn't seem to want to let go of the Neptune topic just yet, but she knew she had to speak her mind. "Uh… um, well… you see… l-last night, I went to the kitchen to get a glass of water… and um…"

"Yeah? Spit it out Noire." Cameron said, impatient.

"W-well… on the way back, I… I couldn't help but overhear you… sleep talking to yourself." Noire got out.

"Wait, you were listening to me?!" Cameron said angrily.

"I didn't want to! Well, I did, but I didn't at the same time! I only did so out of sheer curiosity!" Noire defended herself. "I-I mean, it's not like I like listening in to private conversations!"

Cameron paused. "Wait… private conversations?"

Noire realized she went ahead of her explanation. "I-I mean… *sigh*... look. When I listened in for a bit, you… changed. You're voice became… clearer, and it… you sounded like you were talking to someone."

Cameron blinked a few times in surprise. "I… I did? W-what did I say?"

"Umm… something along the lines of… 'I thought you would protect me!', 'What would you do in my situation?', and 'Get away from me!'" Noire said, trying to remember.

Those words… something flashed through Cameron's mind…

Cameron froze. His heart started to pound.

An image came to mind…

 _A large door…_

 _He was standing in front of the open door…_

 _In the door frame, a tall man in a suit looked at him…_

 _He reached for Cameron's shoulder…_

And everything went black.

…

…

 _One hour later…_

"..."

"C…"

"..."

"C...ro…"

"M… m…"

"Cameron…"

"Mmm…"

"Cameron, wake up!"

"Mmm… hm?"

Cameron opened his eyes. He was lying on his back on his bed, staring at the ceiling. Compa, Neptune, IF, and Noire were all looking down at him worriedly as he slowly woke up.

"Oh thank the goddesses… you had us really worried there for a bit." Compa said, relieved. She and Neptune helped pull Cameron into a sitting position, leaning against the headboard of said bed.

"Ohh, my head… what happened?" Cameron moaned out, rubbing his temples lightly. He was feeling the aftermath of what must have been a throbbing headache. Thankfully it was going away now, but still, his head hurt like a bitch.

"You blacked out." Noire said, worried. "You froze up in place and then collapsed into a heap, shaking and sweating."

"What's the last thing you remember?" IF asked after he collected his bearings.

"The… the last thing I remember…" Cameron said softly, trying to think. Nothing really came to mind. The only thing that he truly remembered was when he was talking to Noire…

Then, a flash passed through him. It lasted for only a second, but in that second he could swear he saw something. It almost looked like…

 _Asmilingmaninablacksuitholdingapistolandpointingitrightatmyheadhelpmehelpmehelpme…_

"ARGH! My head!" Cameron shouted loudly, grasping his head at the sudden and intense headache that suddenly broke out. Voices in his mind spoke out, voices that sounded both familiar, yet totally unknown.

If any of the girls said anything in that moment, it was lost in his sea of thought and confusion. He couldn't focus on anything…

And then the headache passed. It stopped so suddenly, it was as if it was on a timer. Cameron took a few deep breaths, before looking back up. The four girls in front of him were pale white in the face.

"W… w-what… is going on with me?" he asked, shaking a little. This was not normal. Not in the slightest.

The girls offered no suggestions. Even Neptune couldn't think of a way to lighten the mood.

When five minutes had passed and nothing else happened to Cameron, Noire gave him one last worried glance before leaving the room. IF followed suit, though with a much longer glance and a hug.

That left just him, Neptune, and Compa. Compa went through a long routine of checking on Cameron, making sure nothing was wrong with him. He seemed perfectly fine. No unusual breathing, no blood pressure problems, no fever, no nothing.

"This… this isn't normal at all. I mean, I… I can't find anything wrong." Compa said, looking scared.

"M-maybe…" Neptune said softly, piecing together something. "M-maybe his brain is trying to remember. But, he can't for some reason, so it's painful. At least, that's all I can think of…"

"Well… I did remember a few things…" Cameron said, trying to piece together what he had seen in his two latest 'episodes'. "W-when I passed out in front of Noire, I… I saw a tall man in a suit, talking to me. I couldn't hear anything he said, but just before I blacked out, he reached for my shoulder… and then just now, I saw him again, smiling. He… he had a pistol in his hand, and… a-aiming it at m-me…"

Neptune and Compa looked shocked at this revelation. Not to mention a bit mad. Who in their right minds would DARE try to hurt their beloved Cameron?

 _(A guy that wants a good old fashioned can of butt kicking, that's who.)_

"W-well… at least you remember something. That's a start." Compa said, looking like she was about to break down. Seeing that, Cameron leaned forward and pulled her too him, patting her on the back. "Wha… Cameron?"

"Hey. Don't cry." Cameron said. His voice was the softest they had ever heard. "Whatever is going on here, I can deal with it. I WILL remember who I am, why this is happening, everything. It may take weeks, months, maybe even years, but I will find out why. But having you guys on my side helps me out a lot. So please… don't cry. Otherwise I'll start crying too."

Compa was speechless. Tears welled up in her eyes, both from seeing her lover in pain before, and now at his comforting words. Without a second of hesitation, she hugged him like a teddy bear, ready to sob.

A single tear slipped past her eyelids. It fell down and gently landed on Cameron's shoulder. Then came another. And another. Until soon enough, she was sobbing loudly into his shoulder. She couldn't help it. She needed to let out her fear. Fear of losing him.

Fortunately, Cameron understood. He held Compa loosely, letting her cry. He rubbed her back gently, saying, "Shhh… it's okay… it's okay. Shhh…"

Then another pair of arms wrapped around him. Neptune had silently made her way onto the bed and hugged Cameron tightly, hoping he wouldn't reject her. To that gesture, Cameron simply smiled lightly, before wrapping his arms around her in a hug as well.

Then, a single tear escaped Cameron's eyes. It landed on Neptune's back, but no one else noticed. 'Stealthy little bugger…' Cameron thought, doing his best to keep the rest in check.

Ten minutes. That's how long those three stayed together like that. Course, Compa stopped crying about halfway through that, but still. Neptune didn't cry, but looked rather close to doing so.

 _(I'll be honest… I almost let one slip. But I knew if I started, I'd never stop.)_

Finally, Compa pulled away, her face still streaked with a few tears. Cameron rubbed her head gently before saying, "You're really bad at following directions, you know that right?"

Compa actually smiled a little bit at the joke. She wiped off the tear tracks, looking deeply into his eyes. She didn't say anything more. She only rewrapped her arms around Cameron, wishing that she could never let go.

Neptune didn't want to let go either. This was more than a simple matter of love now. Much more. It was a cure. Being away… hurt both of them. She never thought about it much, but… the second she had left him, that's when he blacked out. Maybe it was related, maybe it wasn't. Either way… now everything was different.

And as for Cameron… letting go now would mean that he didn't care. That everything they had shared together was for nothing.

No.

That's not happening.

Never in a million years will that happen.

Without even realizing it, he hugged those two tighter. Closer. He could never leave these girls alone. To do so would be more cold to them than dieing. For now, he had to show these girls that he would never leave…

Never…

 _A few more hours later..._

Noire didn't come back to continue talking with Cameron. Her reasoning of it was that Cameron was probably in no fit shape to continue talking about the 'conversation' he had had.

She tossed over to the other side. She'd been trying to fall asleep for at least thirty minutes now. The time on her bedside clock read '10:30'.

"Ugh… come on. We're probably doing stuff tomorrow, like actually working. I need all my wits about me…" she spoke quietly to herself. But she couldn't.

Chalking it up to a matter of thirst again, she left her room and quickly pulled out a complimentary bottle of water from the hotel's fridge. It wasn't the best, but it'll do.

'Note to self: Once back in power of Lastation, get better water for my hotels.' she thought jokingly.

 _(Note to all black-haired tsunderes: Work on your jokes. Please. Even the crickets are silent here.)_

Noire shivered slightly. She glanced over and realized the door to the balcony was still wide open. "Animals…" she muttered, going over to close it.

Upon reaching said door, however, Noire quickly found the reason as to why it was still open. Apparently Cameron was having trouble falling asleep as well. He was sitting down on the bench, still in the clothes he wore earlier, looking out at the full moon.

Noire didn't say anything. Should she leave, or say something, or…?

Just then, Cameron sighed. "You know, you're being a real nighttime stalker here Noire." he said, turning with a light smile tugging at his lips.

Noire blushed heavily. "H-how'd… how'd you know I was there?"

"Through the power of plot convenience. Works every time." Cameron said. "Anyway, enough of that. Come. Sit out here with me."

Noire blushed further. "W-why… do you want me to sit there with you?"

"I was just getting lonely. Plus, you look like you won't fall asleep anyway, so hey, maybe this'll tire you out." Cameron said, patting the bench next to him. With some minor reluctance, she stepped outside and sat down next to him. But not that close.

For a while, at least five or so minutes, they simply sat there, looking at the moon. The sky had cleared up from the rain earlier, so they had an excellent view of the full moon, as well as all of the stars everywhere.

"W-wow… you never see this many stars out usually…" Noire said softly. Then she realized she let it slip that she had her memory still.

Cameron slumped over and sighed. Noire stared at him, wondering what was wrong. For five more minutes, they stayed exactly like that.

Then Cameron spoke. "Must be nice."

It was barely over a whisper, but Noire still heard it. "W-what?"

"Must be nice to… actually know who you are." Cameron said at the same volume. "Me? I have no idea who I am. You're just pretending to that no one can learn whatever you really are."

He looked over suddenly, making Noire jump. "You've never known what it's like. To wake up, and suddenly everything you've ever known is just _gone_."

Noire only stayed silent. What should she have said?

"That's why I'm out here. Looking out at the peace and calm of the world… it makes me happy. I know not everyone out there is innocent, far from it. But… at least I can take pride in knowing that… I'll be fighting for a good cause, while doing whatever I can to find myself."

"And then there's you." Cameron said, sitting up and leaning over. Noire instinctively leaned back in fear. She barely knew the guy, but already knew that he wasn't someone to take lightly. "You, a person who knows what she's doing, and what she has to do, but you don't understand us. You don't understand fully why you're still with this group. I've seen it in your eyes, in how you talk. You seem to have never wanted to be a part of this group, and yet you stay. Why? Some quest to redeem yourself? Some journey to learn who you can trust? Who to stab in the back? _Why?_ "

"I… I…" Noire stuttered out, having trouble processing all this. How is this possible? One minute he's the nicest man in the world, then he turns into a beast. What did she do wrong?

Then something snapped. Wha… what authority did this man have? She's Lady Black Heart! Why should a mere man be able to speak to her like that?!

"I don't think you get _me._ " Noire replied, her voice suddenly full of vigor. Without warning, she shoved Cameron back, startling him. "Whatever I did to get on your bad side, you should really learn to tone down a notch. Otherwise… you'll never learn why I'm still here. So I can help my homeland. Find out who I can and can't trust, yes, but also learn which people… _need to be silenced._ Understand me now, mister?"

For the count of ten, no one spoke. Cameron's face held deep surprise.

Then… he chuckled. "Heh… so you do have a spine. At least you'll stand up for yourself. That's all I needed to know."

Noire became confused. "Wait… what?"

"Do you get it? I've been testing you. Seeing if you're with us for the right reasons." Cameron explained. "See, if we picked up some random girl with no motivation at all, then I'd be sure to kick you to the curb the moment I could. But you? That moment of unbridled anger, THAT'S what I wanted to see. A reason to keep going. Passion, desire, want. Though… from what I just saw, I'd say it's more of a need."

Noire stayed silent. So… THAT'S why he seemed like a monster? Because he wanted to test her?

"People like you are hard to judge, Noire." Cameron said. "I'm not being mean or anything, I'm just saying the truth. You care about what you believe it, but you don't want to others to judge you for it. Maybe that's just who you are, maybe not. But what matters is this: if someone tests your beliefs, then that's when you'll fight. And that, my dear Noire, is exactly the person I want fighting by my side."

Cameron stood, looking like he said his piece. "Be ready for tomorrow. Compa says that at the rate you've been healing, we'll be ready to do some work tomorrow. Think you're stomach can handle doing work for Avenir?"

He didn't wait for an answer. He simply walked into the hotel room again, going to bed.

Noire just stared at the moon, and the stars.

When the hell did life get so complicated?

 _The next day, at around noon…_

"Though it is unfortunate, let's start working for Avenir…"

Neptune said those words dejectedly as the five headed to the meeting point. Well, four right now. Noire said that she had forgotten something back at the hotel, but would be back shortly. For now, the group was huddled under a tree in the shade, making sure THEY hadn't forgotten anything.

"Please don't say that out loud, Nep…" IF scolded.

"Nep-Nep doesn't really have a zipper for her mouth…" Compa said softly.

 _(Compa! I thought you were on my side! Oh it hurts, your words hurt me so!)_

At that moment, Noire finally came back, with her glasses she got back in the last chapter. "Sorry for the wait. It took a while to get ready." she said.

Neptune cocked her head in confusion. "Huh? Noire, what's with the eyeglasses?"

"Oh, you mean these?" Noire said, as if she just noticed they were there. But the smile on her face said otherwise.

"I bet you are enamored with yourself with those eyeglasses on." Neptune teased.

Noire instantly got defensive. "O-of course not! Who would do such a shameful thing?!"

Cameron sighed. "Whatever. Come you guys. The work isn't gonna do itself. Besides, we have our own… projects, right?" he added in an undertone, patting his bag where the test weapon was waiting.

Several more minutes in, and finally they met the two guys who were to give them the work. "Nice to meet you. We've been waiting." said one man in a brown suit and brown, messy hair. "So you're the folks who will be handing our orders?"

"Yes, and you're our client… Ganache?" IF asked quickly.

"Yes, of course. I'm Ganache, and I work at the Avenir company." Ganache said quickly. "This other gentleman here is our representative, President Singe."

Ganache gestured over to the other man standing behind him. Singe was wearing a red suit, had short, trimmed hair, and a chiseled jaw line. Definitely the kind of guy you'd think would be the President of a company. He didn't say anything, he merely nodded.

'So, these two are Avenir's top officials…' Noire said, looking closely at the two.

"It's rare to be getting work from your ranks. Or are we just that important?" IF asked.

"Hahaha. You're such a joker." Ganache obviously fake laughed.

"Stop the unnecessary prattle here. I don't have time to spare." Singe suddenly said. His voice was very deep, which surprised everyone but Ganache, obviously.

"You're right President. I'm so sorry." Ganache apologized. "Very well then. We'll just have to wait a little bit longer and…"

"Wait, what?" Cameron asked. "But we're here now. Why can't we go do what you need from us?"

"Because we felt that this job needed more than just you five. So we went ahead and added one more person to this job. The more of you there are, the faster this can be done." Ganache explained.

"Then… who did you hire as well, Mr. Ganache?" Compa asked politely.

At that moment, Ganache saw something behind the group. "Ah, there he is right now. Girls and gentleman, may I please introduce you to your new partner for now."

Behind the group, a tall, dark skinned man approached. He was looking down at his phone, maybe to check that he was headed in the right direction? He paused… and then looked up.

Ganache cleared his throat gently, and then spoke again.

"May I introduce everyone present, to Mr. Johnathan Haywood?"

 **And that's the end! New character! YAY!**

 **Now, for those of you who are scratching your heads wondering who this new guy is, let me explain. A long time ago, back when this story was still at like, five or six chapters, I got a PM from a dedicated reader, who asked me if he could pitch his own OC into my story. At first, I wasn't sure, but after giving it extended thought, I'm gonna do it.**

 **This is on fellow reader 'phillipf1114', the man who gave me the idea in the first place. Hey, I already have a second OC in my Minecraft story, so why not here?**

 **Anyway guys, I hope you all have enjoyed! Did I do good here? I don't know, it feels… a bit off in some places, but I've already rewritten those parts about ten times over now, so I think that this is as good as I could get.**


	12. From Enemies to Friends

**What is up my awesome reader out there! It's ButterHunter, back with another chapter to my Nep story!**

 **When we last left off, the group had just arrived at the meeting place to get work from Avenir, when they learned that this isn't a single group job. Now a new guy has taken the scene. Let's see how this plays out, eh?**

Chapter 12: From Enemies to Friends

The new guy, Johnathan Haywood, stared at the group. The group stared back. No one was really sure what to say.

At least this gave our heroes a good look at the new man. He had dark skin and dark brown hair, almost black in color. He was wearing a combat suit of some kind, which looked to be made out of metal. A hood was pulled up over his head, making him look darker than he really was. A large sword was on his back, and several pistols hung from holsters on his belt.

Then Haywood sighed. "When I took the job, I made it clear that I work alone. Why is there another group here?"

"I'm terribly sorry, Mr. Haywood, but even with your skill, we felt as though this job would be too much for a single person or group." Ganache said, sounding like he didn't want to argue. "You'll all get paid the same, so there should be no problems."

"Of course their are problems. You're putting me with a group of newbie fighters. That's a mockery of my talents." Johnathan said. Everyone in the party glared at him, especially Neptune and Cameron.

" _Enough_." Ganache said firmly. "Now, as to the order we have for you six, it is rather simple. We are planning to construct a new plant around the area here, but there is a problem with a certain monster around the area."

"I see. So you need us to exterminate the monster?" Noire asked, making sure she had everything right.

"Exactly. We will be inspecting the area, so we need it to be cleared out." Ganache said.

"As long as the place is cleared, I could care less about what you all do. Just get it done as fast as possible." President Singe said.

"Is that all? That's a lot easier than I thought." Neptune commented. "I honestly thought we were going to have to do office work and stuff."

"I'm glad too. I'm not very good with detailed work." Compa said.

"Yeah, you don't seem good with that Compa." Neptune agreed.

"I used to work placing belladonnas on food, but I was even bad with that…" Compa remembered.

"What kind of job is that?" Cameron asked.

"For the record… belladonnas are lethal. Those were probably edible orchids." IF said.

"Alright, everyone quiet down!" Haywood said, quickly losing his patience. "I don't have all day here. Chat on your own time."

"Mr. Haywood is right. Please get this done quick." Ganache said. With that, he turned around and left, Singe following close behind.

Cameron turned to Johnathan. "Well… guess we're working together."

"Seems so." Jonathan said reluctantly. "Come on. The soon we get done, the sooner we can split ways. None of you better slow me down."

He immediately turned down the road and started walking. The party looked at each other with mixed emotions.

"Well… this oughta be interesting." IF said, half glaring at Haywood's retreating back.

"Come on. Let's go. No point waiting around here anymore." Noire said. Everyone else agreed, so they all quickly jogged to catch up with Johnathan.

 _Meanwhile, with the Avenir reps…_

"Sir President, about that black-haired girl…" Ganache said as he and his boss walked away.

"Did you notice, too?" Singe asked.

"Yes. Even if it was a cosplay, she looked very similar."

"She has been missing for the past few days, no?"

"Yes, so it is possible that is her… what shall we do?"

"Nothing right now. We can't do anything without positive proof. But be sure that you keep a solid watch on her Ganache…"

 _Back with the party…_

The five friend were keeping a good distance away from Johnathan for now. It's hard to trust someone who doesn't really want to talk. All that he really wanted to do was get the job done so everyone could get going.

At least the distance made them feel safe to talk. "Hmm… guess it isn't that easy to find out what Avenir is planning…" Neptune said sadly.

"Too bad…" IF agreed. "Well, at least we can test Chian's weapon out."

Cameron had already pulled out the new sword and was looking at it carefully. "So, who's gonna wield it?"

"Is that even a question? Nep-Nep will!" Neptune said gleefully. Rolling his eyes, he nevertheless traded her with the one she had now. To get a feel for it, she took a practice swing off to the side, then thought about Noire watching her. "Speaking of, Noire, you'll be fighting with us, right?"

"Yes, that's right. I'm fighting this time while IF supports me." Noire said, remembering the plan everyone had come up with. Since everyone in the party shared EXP, it made sense to only have at most four people fighting at the same time.

"If that's the case, Iffy, there's a few monsters here, so let's fight one to see how good Noire is." Neptune suggested.

Before anyone else could say anything else, a promising monster wandered into the clearing, effectively blocking the way forward. Noire looked cocky as she said, "You underestimate me, but fine… take a good look with those eyes of yours."

Then Cameron looked around. Haywood was nowhere in sight. 'How typical. He says he fights well, but right when we could use backup, he disappears. Oh well, no big problem right now.

Neptune was still talking. "Hey, to make things fun, why not bet our puddings? Winner takes all!"

"You're on. Not much of a bet though, since I'll win." Noire replied.

"I don't know… I'm not planning on losing, you know? Transform!" Neptune said joyfully.

And with that, Neptune quickly changed back into her HDD form. Noire looked flabbergasted. "What the?! That's not fair! No transforming!"

Neptune flashed a cocky smile and said, "Well then, why don't you transform, too?"

Noire looked shocked, but then Compa spoke up. "Nep-Nep, a normal person can't transform like you."

"Random as usual…" IF added.

Cameron, however, was looking at Noire's face. She visibly relaxed when those two spoke up. 'Hmmm… better take note of that.'

Noire was thinking to herself. 'Th-that surprised me… I thought for a second she found out who I am…'

"Well, a bet is a bet. I won't let you go easy." Neptune said, dashing to the monster with a shouting Noire right behind her.

"Nep-Nep gets so serious when pudding is on the line…" Compa said, shaking her head.

"*sigh*... come on. Let's go and make sure they don't hurt each other." Cameron said, cocking his arm cannon.

 _A quick two minutes of fighting…_

"Take this!"

The monster fell with a loud roar. In front of it were Neptune and Noire. Both had swung their swords at the same time, making them confused for a second.

Then Neptune straightened. "I won."

"What are you talking about? I won first." Noire argued.

Neptune changed back to normal, and continued, "No, I was a whole twenty-two words ahead of you."

"Okay, enough." Cameron said. "You both dealt the final blow at once. So it's a tie, okay?"

Neptune and Noire looked crestfallen. "No way!" Nep said.

"That's right! No way I could tie with Neptune!" Noire added.

"Gah, you two are so stubborn!" IF said, rather forcefully. She actually made both Neptune and Noire quiver a little bit.

Compa also didn't look happy. "If the ref says it's a tie, it's a tie. If you don't like it, me and Iffy will take the puddings away." she said, in a firm voice that she used only when she wanted people to really listen.

Both Neptune and Noire really started shaking at that comment. "P-please, no!" they both said at the same time. Apparently even Noire couldn't stand losing her pudding.

"Well then, you have to be friends." Compa said, smiling happily again.

At that moment, guess who came running back? Johnathan. And he didn't look very happy. "What the hell?! I thought I said that I didn't want any of you slowing me down!"

"We were doing something." Cameron said quickly.

"That doesn't excuse the fact that you five aren't even trying to make progress in this dungeon." Haywood continued. Was it just Cameron's imagination, or did Haywood's hand barely flick over to one of his pistols?

"Look." Cameron said, not really wanting to fight here. "Let's just forget that and keep moving. If we really are wasting time, standing here arguing won't help at all."

"Fine. But I won't take anymore bullshit from you people." Johnathan said impatiently. Without another word, he turned on his heel and started walking back down the path.

Noire breathed angrily. "I'm really, REALLY starting to hate that guy."

Cameron could only sigh. True, he didn't think Haywood was that nice right now or anything. But as long as they could work together long enough to get this job done, it didn't matter what really happened, right?

"Come on. Let's go before 'Mother' get's mad at us." Cameron said, earning grins from the whole group. At least he was still making jokes.

When they did catch up to him, he was taking out some small monsters with his pistols. The monsters tried to hit him, but he dodged all of them rather easily. It only took him two minutes to waste all three monsters that attacked. Once they vanished, he sighed, wiped his brow, and turned to see the other five making their way down.

"Finally, ready to help me now?" Johnathan asked sarcastically. He chose to ignore the glares coming from the girls, instead focusing on Cameron.

Cameron's face… was surprisingly neutral, given the situation. "We were always ready, you know. We just had to test something first."

"And you chose to test it now, wasting my valuable time?"

"I'm sorry, but did we do something to you?" Cameron asked his tone changing again. The girls knew exactly what it was: he was steadily becoming angry. And bad things happened when he was angry. "Because from the looks of things, all we did was take a second to clear out a monster, a large one at that, which is part of the job description. And if my memory serves, you weren't even there to help."

Johnathan's fists instantly clenched in anger. "I'm warning you. Keep talking like you have been and things might go in ways you don't want."

They both shot daggers at each other for a few seconds, before Haywood turned. "Come on. The monster we need to kill should be in the back of the dungeon." he said quickly, suddenly all business again. He started walking again, though much slower.

Cameron watched him, until he realized that his arms were crossed. And that his right hand was slowly working it's way towards his arm cannon.

"Cameron? Are you okay?" IF asked. Cameron glanced over at her, and saw her worried expression. Probably about what trouble he was getting himself into.

"I'm… I'm fine. Just… watch out for him. All of you." Cameron said, moving ahead, leaving a rather confused group of girls behind him.

"Cameron doesn't seem that big of a Haywood fan…" Neptune commented.

"No kidding… he'd better not get himself hurt." IF agreed. She had seen his hand get closer to his arm cannon, which could only mean he was ready to defend himself, or the girls, if need be.

 _(So I got a boyfriend who basically acts like a prince, saving his damsels in distress? Prince! I need pudding, or else the dragon if front of me will attack!)_

With worried glances at each other, the girls followed quickly after him, rejoining him just in time for another monster to attack. "Wait… is that what I think it is?" Cameron asked.

Three monsters attacked the group. Two of them looked like pipes, but with green and yellow swirl marks along the sides. The last one looked, and this is the hundred percent truth, a visual novel screen. A red-haired girl was on in, with words that Cameron couldn't understand, because he didn't understand a lot of Japanese.

Cameron couldn't help but facepalm. This was all getting to be a bit much. "*deep breath*... welp, that's about all my randomness meter can take for today. Let's get this over with, eh?"

Cameron, Neptune, Compa, and Noire stood at the ready. This time, Johnathan was there, but… he was only standing off to the side. "Hey! A little help would be nice, you know!" IF shouted out from the sidelines.

"Nah. I'll let you all get some work done. Can't make this too easy for you people." Haywood said, leaning against a nearby tree. The rest of the group glared at him, but there was no time to focus on him. The monsters were ready to attack.

Cameron, with his sword drawn, went first. "Okay, let's see here… let me try something new." he said, swinging his sword around a little.

The surroundings got dark again, and he activated a new skill again. The words, 'Hero's Spin' appeared above his head. Quickly, he dashed forward and managed to get two of the monsters with an uppercut from his sword. He jumped up in between them, and then started spinning. He rose in the air, taking the monsters with him, all while slicing them with his blade. Once he couldn't spin anymore, he fell down and landed perfectly back where he started, with the monsters right back where they were.

Even Haywood had to admit it: that was impressive. It took the two monsters' health down almost half, as well as broke the guards. Cameron grinned at the girls. "The newbie fighter still has some tricks up his sleeve." he added.

"Okay… newbie fighter with some fancy swordplay." Haywood corrected. He would at least give him SOME credit. The other girls quickly finished the rest off, and the group continued on.

"Man, wish those skills didn't take so much to use though." Cameron said quietly. Almost all of his skills used up about two hundred SP each, some even more, and he only had a thousand or so max SP at the moment. "Then I'd feel better about fighting that monster we're heading to."

"Speaking of, what's this monster we have to beat?" Neptune asked.

"Eh, looks like it's a large sized monster." IF said.

"No shit it will be." Haywood said, walking a bit further behind. "Anything else?"

"No… that was pretty much all the documents had in them about it." IF said.

"Are you sure?" Cameron asked. "As much as I don't like to say it, Avenir doesn't look like a company to leave out details like that."

"Not saying anything bad to you, but that's quite lacking in information…" Noire agreed.

"Well, couldn't we just ask someone for the information?" Compa asked.

"I highly doubt that there's anyone who would truly know this information, you know." Noire said with a huff.

At that exact moment, a new voice spoke up. "My my. To see known faces here…"

Out from behind some trees and bushes rose… a magician? She certainly fit that bill, what with her blackish brown witch hat and long, neat denim blue hair. Her piercing indigo eyes stared at the group. And if Cameron's eyes served him right, he could also see a small mole just under the left one. On closer inspection the dress she wore was a white overcoat, with a brown dress beneath it and a red tie. Gray stockings rose up to her thighs, and she had on black heels which didn't look all that comfortable. In her left hand she held a long, black staff with a curved end to it.

"...who are you?" Noire asked.

"My name, you ask? Yes, of course… you can call me MAGES.." the new girl said. Her voice was very smooth, almost deep, yet still very feminine.

"Mages?" Neptune asked.

"That's 'MAGES.' with a period." she corrected.

"Umm… that doesn't make verbal sense, I think… well, okay, MAGES. it is then!" Neptune said, shaking off her confusion.

"Hmm…" MAGES. hummed to herself. "You said something similar the last time, too." she mused, looking right at Neptune.

"Wait… you know her?" Cameron asked, confused again.

"Even if not, this is great Nep-Nep!" Compa said happily. "We finally found someone who knows you!"

MAGES. was thinking carefully. "From the way it sounds, it looks like Neptune lost her memory."

"Exactly!" Neptune said with amazement. "Wow, how'd you know?"

"With my expertise, I can extract the truth from mere words." MAGES. said quietly. "Unfortunately, I may not be of much help to you."

"What do you mean?" Cameron asked.

"To put it as simply as I can, I came from another dimension." MAGES. replied. "As such, the Neptune I know is not the Neptune in front of me."

"Wha… I'm starting to get confused." Compa said.

"So, you came from another world, and not here, right?" IF summed up.

"Hm, I see. Correct. As sharp as usual, IF." MAGES. said in an impressed tone.

"Well, aside from you knowing Nep, I want to ask you something." IF said. "We're looking for a certain monster here, but do you know anything?"

"Um, IF? Not to be rude, but she just said she's from another dimension, so how…" Cameron started.

"I do, but it is in exchange for other information." MAGES. interrupted. Cameron decided he'd better let the story roll for now.

"Alright, but I don't have info on how you could return to your dimension." IF said.

"No, not that. I want to know where I can buy Doc P." MAGES. said, her voice becoming more, ah, husky, is the word for it.

The whole group, Haywood and Cameron included, blinked a little bit. Then IF made a face and said, "Ew… that sounds… bleh. Uh, Compa, do you know what it is?"

"I've never heard of it before. Nep-Nep?" Compa said.

"You're asking someone who lost her memory." Neptune reminded her.

"Don't even think of asking me. Noire, you got anything?" Cameron went on.

"First time for me, too. What is this 'Doc P'?" Noire asked. They didn't even need to ask Haywood, he looked just as confused as the rest.

"No one knows what Doc P is?!" MAGES. asked as if that was the most ridiculous thing in the world. "The drink of the chosen, Doc Tear Popper?!"

 _(Oh, the product placement is so real! SO REAL I SAY!)_

The whole group said in perfect unison, "Nope."

Not missing a beat, MAGES. turned around and held her hand up to her ear. "Hello? The Organization has removed the existence of Doc P here. But… I can't give up now. There must be traces of Doc P remaining. You continue the search there. I bid you luck. Loochs tneve emag noitamina cisum."

 _(That sounded really cool, until you look at it backwards. See it?)_

MAGES. put her hand back down and said, "Tch…! I can't believe Doc P does not exist here as well."

You could practically hear the group blinking at this strange girl. Then Noire decided to speak up. "I don't know who you were speaking to, but can you answer our question next?"

"Yes, a deal is a deal. What would you like to know?"

"Do you happen to know the whereabouts of any large-sized monsters here?" Noire asked.

MAGES. laughed a little bit. "Is that is? I actually just saw one just a bit ago. It is easily identifiable with its visual difference from the others."

"I'm hoping other than, you know, just being huge?" Cameron asked.

"Indeed. Just head down this path a bit more and you should see it."

"Thank you. This really helps us out a lot." Noire thanked.

"I assume you will now be hunting said monster down? I would like to help, but I have an urgent matter to attend to."

"Don't worry. We're fine with just the information." Noire said quickly.

"I see. I bid you farewell, then."

And with that, MAGES. left, heading down the way the group came from. But two things happened before she fully left. One, she gave Cameron a long, hard stare as she passed him, and two, she seemed to whisper something to Johnathan, something the rest of the group couldn't make out.

"I… I don't think she understood me being here." Cameron said rather softly.

Haywood stayed quiet. But unless Cameron's eyes were playing tricks on him… was that the faintest blush he had ever seen?

"Who-ho-ho!" Cameron said, switching over to his teasing mode. "No fucking way, Haywood! Did you already get some game in the first full chapter you were in? That's amazing!"

If looks could kill, Cameron would've died about twenty times over from the glares Johnathan gave him. But he wasn't done yet. "Normally I'd be all like, 'Oh my god Haywood, I'm so jealous!' But now… I think, honestly, that you have the signs. You, my easily angered friend, have the true markings of a harem protagonist! Ha ha!"

Haywood couldn't take it anymore. He stomped forward, shoved Cameron out of the way, and marched on. "Come on. Let's keep going."

"Aww, lighten up buddy!" Cameron said, running after him. He was obviously enjoying this. "There's no need to run away from your destiny!"

The other four girls were staring at the place where two guys had run over the hill. Soon enough, an argument seemed to break out. "*sigh* Damn it… come on. Let's go break those two up." IF said.

Just over the hill, the four girls saw Cameron and Johnathan heavily arguing in the middle of a clearing. Johnathan was yelling at Cameron for all the unnecessary teasing, and Cameron was yelling because Haywood couldn't take a joke.

"Just shut the hell up! She didn't say anything like that!" Haywood yelled.

"Lighten up man! I was just poking some fun! Can't you take a hint?" Cameron yelled back.

"ARRGH!" Haywood yelled, finally snapping. He couldn't take this stupid bullshit anymore. Without even thinking about it, both of his hands went for his pistols around his belt. He grabbed them, cocked them, and pointed.

But Cameron was ready as well. While Haywood was busy, Cameron already cocked and prepped his arm cannon for fire. So now they were there, standing in a deadly standoff with both of their guns ready to fire at moments notice.

"Say one more thing about me. I DARE YOU." Johnathan said, dead serious.

"You don't seem like that type. You won't fucking fire." Cameron leveled back.

"You wanna bet on that? My trigger finger might have some other ideas."

"You say this, but still I'm standing. If you really want to kill me, then PULL THE FUCKING TRIGGER!" Cameron shouted, mad with rage.

For a solid ten seconds, no one moved. No one barely breathed. It was all still.

"You don't have the guts." Cameron said softly. "You don't have the guts to do it."

"Shut the hell up!" Haywood said.

"NEVER!" Cameron shouted again.

Then it happened.

Cameron…

Glitched.

Just for a few milliseconds.

So fast, that almost no one saw it.

Only two people did: Haywood, and Neptune.

Cameron… he changed in that glitch. His eyes turned blood red. His clothes changed to a green shirt, with large stains on them. Red stains. His pants too were stained.

But the worst part was the rest of his face. His mouth… it was twisted into a smile. A smile that said, 'I'm so happy to see you here.' The blush that appeared on his cheeks didn't help at all.

Then he changed back. Haywood looked surprised. "Wh-what… what was that?"

"The fuck are you talking about?"

"You… what the hell did you just do?"

"C-Cameron?" Neptune said. "C-could you… just lower your guns. Both of you."

"Y-yeah!" IF said. "Both of you, put down the weapons! NOW!"

"Not until he does first." Cameron said through gritted teeth. His eyes shone with a fierce fire that was not going to be quenched.

Haywood sighed, stalled, and then finally, but slowly, lowered his pistols. Seeing that, Cameron lowered his weapon as well. They stared at each other with immense hate.

However, if one looked closely into Haywood's eyes, they would see… a look of confusion. Of… fear. That one moment, that single instant that Cameron changed into… whatever THAT was. That had been just enough for him to lower his guns. For the first time in… well, ever.

Both made short bows to each other, almost as if they understood everything now.

Then Johnathan turned. "Come on. The end of the dungeon is this way. Let's finish this job."

He moved on, albeit very slowly. Cameron never took his eyes off the hunter's back until he moved behind a tree.

"Cameron?" IF asked.

Cameron didn't say anything.

"Cameron, listen to me. What are you thinking?"

Just then an angry yell rose out from the trees and such. Johnathan's yell. "What the… what did he do?!" IF yelled.

Cameron didn't respond, but he started… shaking? But… the expression was all wrong. It wasn't out of anger… it was out of fear.

"I… I have to talk to him. I'll be with you girls in a minute." he said, and without waiting for a response, dashed away to where Johnathan disappeared.

It took a little bit, mostly because Haywood had decided to run off the main path and take on monsters in the denser terrain for some reason. But it was clear when Cameron got there that Haywood was in way over his head. He was trying to take on five monsters at once, with uneven terrain and bushes everywhere. Not to mention he was trying to do it all with his sword. His pistols were off to the side, handing on a tree.

Haywood wasn't doing so good. Even a trained fighter like him could barely fight in the monster's home turf. It wasn't long before he got outmatched. No matter how hard he struggled, he couldn't get away. The closest monster prepared to kill the human…

But neither of them saw the lightning fast bolt of plasma energy come out of nowhere. The monster flew back five yards and quickly smacked into a tree, knocking it out most likely.

 _(Get that weak stuff outta here! Sorry, I had to.)_

Haywood turned to see… Cameron's arm cannon out, still smoking from the fresh blast. "BACK! All of you! BACK!"

The rest of the monsters stalled, before they decided to go after the more interesting prey, aka Cameron. But he was counting on that.

He blew one back, shot another round into the second, and bashed the third in its face with his weapon. As if THAT wasn't overkill enough, he drew his sword with his right and started dual wielding. The monster's didn't stand a chance.

Within a few more minutes, all four monsters that rushed Cameron were gone, and the last one that had gotten knocked out woke up, and immediately fled at the sight of it's other friends dead.

Cameron sighed, and retracted his arm cannon. He quickly made it over to Johnathan and held out his hand in the typical, 'Come on, let's get you up.' gesture.

Hesitantly, Haywood took it, and Cameron hoisted him back to his feet. "You… you saved me."

"Yeah, I did. Because I don't want to have a murder on my conscience." Cameron said, but immediately shook his head. "No, not that. I… I wanted to repay for what I said, for how I've been acting lately. I've been an asshole and I know it. Not to mention hardheaded. That's a toxic combination, huh?"

"But…" he continued. "There's a reason I'm like that. Why I change into a rage-filled monster. Because those girls. They… they are like my family now. They're the only people I have left."

"So go ahead and do whatever you want with me. I'll take it. But I swear. If you ever, and I mean EVER, hurt any of them, I swear the gates to hell will be opened upon you. Do you understand?"

Haywood's eyes seemed a little glazed over. Was he reminiscing about something? Whatever the case, he shook his head back to reality and gave Cameron another look at. Clearly there was more to this man than meets the eye.

"Fine. So long as you understand me." Haywood said suddenly. "I'm here on a quest to help my homeland. And before you say anything, Gamindustri is my homeland, not just one Land. So if I see anyone that isn't going to help this place…"

He drew a finger on his throat. "I've seen way too much wrong in this world. You'd better make sure you keep your nose clean with me around."

"Of course." Cameron said, cockly grinning. "Now come on, before the girls think that one or both of us got killed here."

With that thought out of the way, the two men headed back. Haywood was glancing over at Cameron with… was that newfound respect in his eyes? Maybe… he would talk to Cameron. Find out what his true motives were. Sure, those girls definitely seemed like a big deal to him, but… there had to be something else to him.

Finally they made their way back to the glorious pathway. Almost immediately after that, Cameron turned in time to see Neptune running right at him, IF, Compa, and Noire right behind her.

"Cameron! What were you thinking?!" Neptune shouted, shaking Cameron like a rag doll. "You ran from us with nothing! Why?!"

"St-st-stop sh-sha-shaking me and I-I'll an-answer!" Cameron got out. At least Neptune got the message and let him go for now. Cameron quickly regathered his bearings, and continued, "I ran because I needed to help Haywood. You all heard that frustrated yell! What was I supposed to do, sit there and do nothing?"

"Umm… a minute ago, you didn't look like the bestest of friends…" Compa said softly. "So… why did you run after him?"

"Because I don't want think think of what would've happened if I hadn't." was all Cameron would say. "Now, are we just gonna stand here and keep talking about what happened, or are we going to get going?"

Clearly the girls didn't want to leave it on just that, but it was obvious that Cameron wasn't going to budge, or at least not now. Neptune looked the most peeved about this, but even she understood how pointless it would be to try and get him to talk now.

 _(Like I've said, Cameron can have the hardest head of all, one to rival all the tsunderes in the world!)_

"*sigh*... well, he has a point. The end of the dungeon is just up ahead. That monster we have to clear out must be close by now." Noire said, trying to get the group back on track. "Let's hurry up and get there before it gets away!"

Everyone nodded with that, and they all started walking forward down the path. But Cameron and Haywood… they hung to the back for a bit. They seemed like they wanted to talk, but would rather have the other start.

Finally, Cameron couldn't take it anymore. He cleared his throat and said, very formally, "I… I'm sorry. I've acted like an asshole to you, and… well, I want to make amends for that."

"Hey… look…" Haywood started, sighing. "If anything, I should be the one apologizing. I instantly judged you and your party just because I've been in the game longer. And by that, I mean the fighting, hired help mercenary type game, not like the one this story is based around."

Cameron stared a little bit, before a slight smile tugged at his lips. "Heh. Another fourth-wall breaker, eh?"

"Yeah, well, you can never have enough of those." Johnathan agreed. "But in all seriousness, I should be the one apologizing. So… how about this: we both agree that we start over. Clean slate. True reset. Whatever, just… let's try to actually make amends, eh?"

Cameron instantly agreed. "Amen. Consider this a new start. For all of us." he said, sticking out his hand. Johnathan took and shook firmly.

 _Johnathan Haywood has been added to the party!_

"There it is! That makes it official." Cameron joked. Haywood chuckled at that.

 _Two short battles, a small break, and five minutes later…_

The group of six was staring down at a particularly large monster very close to the end of the dungeon. "Do you guys think that's our monster over there?"

"It is a lot bigger than the other monsters around here." Compa noted.

"Bingo. I think we have our monster. Let's go everyone!" IF said, drawing her blades.

The battle started, and the monster went first. It was a giant wolf monster, with indigo-ish fur and razor sharp claws. It got cheap early damage on the four that were fighting: Noire, Cameron, Neptune, and Haywood. Haywood and Compa switched places for now, so Compa could rest a bit. It was a bit risky, but they were willing to try it.

After the monster went, Neptune and Noire made their moves, only… Neptune decided that she wanted a challenge. So she specially decided to NOT transform for this fight. But everyone else could guess the real reason: they weren't entirely sure whether or not to tell Haywood about it just yet.

Either way, Noire decided to hang to the back for now, watching for patterns. Neptune charged forward and did a Cross Combo, which did a decent amount of damage. 'Thank you, grinding.' Cameron thought.

Then Cameron had to go. He glanced at Haywood… and got an idea. He drew his sword and looked at Haywood expectantly. Haywood was confused for the briefest of seconds before he got it. He was asking to team attack.

So they nodded, forming a plan without even speaking. The surroundings darkened again, and the words, "Dual Strike", appeared above the two men. Cameron quickly ran around to the other side of the monster, while Haywood provided a distraction. Once they were both in position, they charged together. Slice after slice, blow after blow, swing after swing, they both did it in perfect sync.

The final blow consisted of Cameron and Haywood charging up quickly, then charging and swinging, suddenly ending up opposite of where each started.

The attack was impressive, to say the least. A nice total of six or seven thousand damage was racked up on the wolf, which equaled about a good eighth of the health the wolf had, as well as nearly broke the guard.

"HELL YEAH!" Cameron shouted gleefully, punching the arm. "THAT'S what I'm talking about!"

Haywood mopped the hair out of his eyes, a grin on his face as well. "Huh. Didn't think you'd actually be able to keep up with me."

"You kidding? You were the one having to keep up, buddy." Cameron countered lightheartedly. He probably would've said more, had there not been a giant two story tall wolf in front of him that didn't look very happy.

If Cameron was any less of a fancy dodger, he'd be in trouble, but thankfully, he managed to dodge almost everything, save for one lucky clip on his left arm. The cut didn't go very deep, which was a relief.

"Okay, less talky, more swingy." Cameron said, sheathing his sword and pulling out his arm cannon.

The rest of the battle went rather quickly, all things considered. Even if Neptune didn't go super, she still was pretty strong thanks to all the grinding the group had done before.

With one last roar of anger, the beast collapsed and disappeared into dust. Neptune breathed a sigh of relief, and then spoke. "Well, that was pretty easy, wasn't it? Noire was pretty strong, too."

Noire held her head a bit higher at the compliment. "What did you expect? But you're not that bad, yourself."

Neptune snickered. "Heh heh. I got praised by Nowa."

Noire immediately backtracked. "Wha? 'Nowa'?! Why'd you shorten my name?! No wait, I wasn't praising you!"

Haywood was looking at Cameron with questioning eyes. "Does this kind of stuff happen all the time?"

"With these girls, yeah." Cameron said, shaking his head at the silly argument those two were in now. "But I wouldn't trade it for anything else."

Meanwhile Compa and IF were talking a bit further away. "At least it looks like those two are getting along a lot better now. That's a relief."

"Enemies one day, friends the next!" Compa agreed.

"Well, we got that data we needed for Chian, so let's head on back." IF said, pulling apart Neptune and Noire.

"Who's Chian?" Haywood asked.

"I'll explain on the way. Come on! It'll take at least the break between chapters to get back to Lastation!" Cameron said, starting the long road back, Johnathan close behind.

A gentle wind came from behind the group, scattering the dust remains of the wolf monster.

Some particles made it quickly to Lastation, and soon flew right into an open window of a building.

Landing at the base, of a giant, mechanical robot. Only one other thing was visible on it, which was a name that had been painted on it.

'Killachine.'

 **So, I had to get a little creative with my foreshadowing, but not too creative as it was the end of the chapter. I hope what I did was okay.**

 **But anyway guys, I hope you all enjoyed! This was the first real chapter with another OC in this story. Did I do okay on it? I think I did alright, even though I had to rewrite about twenty thousand times to make it feel natural and how I wanted it… oh well.**

 **As always, if you guys have any questions for me, PM me and I'll do my best to answer them. Until next time, my dedicated readers, stay awesome.**


	13. Stuck between Monsters and a Locked Door

**Hello my awesome readers out there! It's ButterHunter, back with another chapter to my story! When we last left off, Cameron and company had just met and eventually befriended a new OC, Johnathan Haywood. Let's see how things play out from this point on, eh?**

 **Enough chat, back to the Nep madness!**

Chapter 13: Stuck between Monsters and a Locked Door

"I'm home!"

That was the first thing Chian heard, before the bell on the door had even stopped ringing. She made her way back to the front of the shop to see the group back, weapon in hand.

"Chian! We're done with the weapon testing!" Neptune said happily.

"Already? That was quick. I was thinking it would take at least a week or two… you guys do work fast." Chian commented, taking the sword back from Neptune. "And, how about Avenir?"

"About that… it didn't go exactly as planned…" Noire said solemnly. "What we do know is that Avenir is building a new plant.

"Oh no, another one?!" Chian complained.

"What's wrong? Is it that much of a problem for a new plant to be made?" IF asked.

"You may not know, but those plants are ruining the nature around them. We've already lost countless forests because of them!" Chian explained, seething a bit.

She wasn't the only one. Cameron wasn't looking very happy about that. "Someone might have to hold me back if we see Ganache again. I've got two blasts with his name on them."

 _(I doubt that you would've followed up on that, but oh well. Say what you will.)_

Compa looked worried, both at the plant production and at Cameron's angry face. "That might make it harder to live in Lastation…"

"Well if that's the case, back to Avenir we go." IF said, looking determined to get information this time.

"You're right. Even if it didn't work this time, we have the next." Noire agreed.

"Aaaand we can do some sleuthing, too!" Neptune added on.

"Uh, nothing over the top Neptune." Cameron said, trying to keep her in line as best he could.

"Oh, but where are my manners? You seem to have picked up someone else on the way here." Chian said, noticing Haywood for the first time.

"Greetings. Haywood. Johnathan Haywood." Haywood said, sticking out his hand. Chian shook it, looking curiously at him.

"...have we met before?" Chian asked. She swore she had seen him somewhere else before.

"Maybe… you look familiar too." Haywood agreed. "Eh, it's probably nothing. Nice to meet you."

"Likewise. I assume these five already explained to you what the deal is?" Chian asked. When he nodded, then Chian continued, "Then I guess I have another person I can put trust in, eh?"

Haywood nodded, before his phone buzzed. He pulled it out and read the message quickly. Whatever it was, it must have been big, because his eyes suddenly widened.

"Oh boy… this is good." he muttered, before looking back at the group. "Hate to do this, but something just came up that is super important. I have to go and take care of this."

"Already? But you just joined the party!" Cameron complained.

"I'm sorry. But hey, I'm sure we'll see each other again. But for now… adieu." Haywood said, bowing a little to the group before heading out the door.

 _Johnathan Haywood has left the party._

 _(Well that was rather fast.)_

"Wonder what got him so excited…" Cameron asked softly.

But if he looked out the window longer as Haywood walked away, he might have noticed the distant figure half hidden behind the building. Ganache.

"Oh my, how interesting. Their conversation is quite intriguing." he muttered, still listening as the six talked about their next move. "Let's see… maybe I should make them taste was it is like to go against us. Try your hand tomorrow, our 'goddess'."

He slowly slunk back into the shadows, looking at the group the whole time…

 _Time skip to 9:00 pm…_

"Finally… I'm getting to know what is going on in Lastation…"

Noire was slowly pacing back and forth. The group had arrived at the hotel a while ago, so she was taking her time to think. The group would be going to the Guild tomorrow so they could see if there was any new Avenir quests available. Most likely there would be one soon, as they still had to be needing things for their company, but they would be patient if they're wasn't.

"I hate to admit that it was because of Neptune and her friends, though… still, something doesn't make sense…"

She stopped her pacing and leaned against the wall. "Spurring business growth makes sense, and I would have said so myself. But, at the risk of destroying the environment… that's going too far. If no one can live here, it defeats all purpose."

She got up from the wall to look out of her window, right next to the door. "Avenir… I wonder what they really are planning? At this rate, there's no time to get back to the Console War. And as much as I don't want to admit it… Neptune isn't a bad person… there's no way I could fight her like this…"

And then the door blasted open. "Noire! Let's go eat some pudding!"

 _(Yay to interrupting Noire's monologue! Again! I love doing that!)_

Noire shouted in surprise, barely managing to catch herself from falling over for the _second time in two days_. When she looked up, the one and only Neptune was in the doorway, two pudding cups complete with spoons already in her hands.

"Deja vu? Whoops, did I surprise you? Sorry there." Neptune said, still smiling.

Noire did her best to recompose herself. It wasn't easy, considering she was fighting her anger. "Why, you…!"

Then she regained control. She took a deep breath, and asked much more calmly, "...now what?"

"Ah, I brought some pudding, so I was wondering if you'd eat some with me." Neptune asked.

"I'm sorry… I'm just not in the mood." Noire said, shaking her head.

"Whaaaaat?! You too, Noire?!" Neptune asked, shocked.

Before Noire could even ask, Neptune kept talking. "Iffy and Compa said no, I can't find Cameron anywhere, and now you! Now who am I supposed to eat with?!"

"How about yourself?" Noire said. She'd never admit it herself, but anyone looking at her face would see that it was slowly softening against her will.

"You still don't get it, do you, Noire?! Pudding taste better eating with others. Like, a lot better!"

"Well, even so, I won't eat before I sleep. I'll get fat. I'm sleepy too." Noire said, turning towards her bed.

"Awwww…" Neptune complained sadly.

"Got it? Well, goodnight then." Noire said, starting to walk over to her bed.

"Awwww…."

"...I'm sorry." Noire stopped walking

"Well… don't worry. I guess… it is my fault for asking so late…" Neptune said. Noire stayed silent as Nep continued, "But… it would've been great to eat with Noire…"

Noire was cracking. "W-well…"

Neptune looked up as Noire continued. "If… if you really, and I mean REALLY, want to eat with me… then why not?"

"Really?!"

"Like I said: if you REALLY want to eat with me."

Neptune instantly hugged Noire, saying, "YAY! I love ya, Noire! I knew you'd come through!"

 _(When Nep-Nep wants to eat pudding with you, I'll win. I don't care who you are, I will always win. Take that as you will, pudding is my LIFE.)_

Noire was a bit busy trying to pry off her purple haired assailant to respond to that immediately. "H-hey! Stop hugging me!"

"Oh, sorry." Neptune said, actually letting go. "I was just so happy there that I lost control. But come on! I know just the place to eat!"

She grabbed Noire by the hand and pulled, taking her to the front door. But maybe Neptune should've looked around a bit harder for Cameron before going to Noire.

Because he was just outside, sitting on the balcony. At first, he didn't even know what Neptune was doing. Only when the front door softly squeaked open did he even notice that the two girls were leaving.

Curious, he silently followed along, making sure to crouch walk. The two girls kept going on until they were out of the hotel. At that point, his legs couldn't take anymore crouching, so he stuck to staying a good distance away and walking normally. His legs were thankful for that.

It was five minutes until the two girls finally stopped walking, and the route Neptune took put them just outside of the city. The smog wasn't as thick around here as it was in the city, which gave them a great view of the moon and stars.

Cameron hid behind some nearby bushes, not exactly sure he should be seeing this. A soft breeze blew by, making Noire's hair flow behind her a bit.

 _(Since when did Cameron become such a stealth nugget? I mean, he has a freaking arm cannon and a large sword! Not exactly stealth weapons here, people.)_

"So… tell me again why we have to be outside to eat the pudding?" Noire asked.

"Heh heh. You may not know it, but pudding tastes better outside, too!" Neptune replied, taking a small bite from her pudding cup. "See! And and the sky is nice and pretty!"

"Yes… it's so beautiful…" Noire agreed, taking in the gorgeous night sky.

"I told you! I just found out when I was eating outside the last time." Neptune said happily.

'Wait… Neptune has done this before?' Cameron thought to himself, before remembering it was Neptune he was talking about. She'd do ANYTHING for pudding. Hell, he wouldn't be surprised if she tried to MARRY the stuff.

Anyway, he turned his focus back to the sight before him. Noire seemed a bit regretful, before she said, "Ah… about the last time I didn't eat with you… I'm sorry."

"Oh, don't worry about it! I was kinda pushy, too." Neptune brushed off. "And anyway, I'm eating with you now, so everything is good!"

"Neptune…" Noire said softly. The two didn't say anything for a few more minutes, until Noire thought of something. "Um… can I ask you something?"

"Sure, as long as, you know, it's not what my account balance is. That's off limits." Neptune said with a cheeky grin.

"No no, not that… just… if you were a CPU… what would you think of Lastation?" Noire asked softly. "Between the Land and the Console War… which would you choose?"

Cameron leaned it a bit more to hear better. Was… was Noire opening up a bit?

"Hmmm… well, I'm not a CPU, so I don't really know." Neptune said casually.

"I'm just hypothetically asking, you know, 'what if'..." Noire tried again.

"Hmm… I would like to help whoever is in front of me first." Neptune said honestly. "And, what's that again? The Console War? Even if that goes bad… I'm much more happy seeing people's faces who I helped or saved! …and pudding, of course."

Cameron couldn't help but laugh a little internally. Only Neptune could somehow take a serious moment and manage to work some humor in as well. That was part of her charm.

Noire, meanwhile, was looking at Neptune in a new way. "Neptune…"

"Hm? Something wrong, Noire?"

"No, nothing… nothing at all." Noire denied. She instantly changed the subject. "By the way, your egg pudding looks pretty good. Do you mind if I take a small bite?"

"Okay! Let me try your chocolate pudding, too!" Neptune said eagerly.

Cameron looked on in half confusion, half surprise. 'Are… are they doing what I think they're doing?'

They were. Noire's exact next words were, "Sure. Open your mouth wide…"

Neptune chomped down on the pudding sample Noire gave her, and swallowed. "Ahhh… the bittersweet flavor! Pure ecstasy!"

Cameron was starting to blush. Now he was pretty sure this wasn't something he should be spying on. Their dialogue wasn't helping in the slightest.

"Hey, now it's my turn. Come and slip one into my mouth…" Noire said softly, blushing a little herself.

Even Neptune realized how weird that sounded. "Uh… that didn't sound good, but… okay!"

She held out her spoon and let Noire take a bite. Noire seemed to like it, as she said, "Mmm… nice and sweet!"

 _(I... I don't really know what the thought process was behind that bit. Oh well! It's not Nep's place to know, I guess!)_

"See? I told you it'll taste better eating with someone else." Neptune said, quickly eating the rest of her pudding.

Noire giggled a little bit. "I guess… you're right. Um, Neptune...?"

"Hm?"

"Thank you…"

'Lastation or the Console War. My answer was always there in front of me…'

After a little bit longer, the two girls stood up and started heading back to the hotel. Cameron wasn't sure what he should do now. He could either try and sneak in after them, run ahead of them, or, probably the worst option, run over and join them.

Favoring stealth over sweat and/or getting yelled at, he decided he'd just walk behind them, maybe running ahead once they got close to the hotel.

However, he wasn't nearly as stealthy this time around. He was following the girls around a corner… when he realized it was a dead end. And the girls were coming around it at the same time.

That wouldn't have been so bad, had certain things not happened. A) Noire running into him, B) Her running at him while looking back at Neptune, who was jogging close behind, and C) The fact that she was much shorter than him.

Thankfully, with some fast acting from Cameron, he managed to catch both himself and Noire just before they would've crashed, though they were now both about twenty steps away from where they crashed into each other.

Once they stopped moving, Noire looked up as Cameron looked down. For a minute, neither of them knew what to say.

Then Cameron realized how firmly he was holding Noire, which Noire seemed to notice at the same time. Noire forced herself out of Cameron's grasp and shoved him away, blushing hard.

"C-C-Cameron?! Wh-what are YOU doing here?!" she stammered, trying, and failing, to recompose herself.

"I was just outside on the balcony when I realized you two weren't in the hotel room! I've been out here for AGES looking for you two." Cameron said. It wasn't a lie, he had realized that they weren't in the hotel room, he had been on the balcony, and he had been looking for those two. Rather, looking _at_ them, but still, not a lie. Though it was right next to one…

"Wait, you were out on the balcony?" Neptune asked, slapping her forehead. "Dang it, I KNEW I missed somewhere when I couldn't find you!"

"You were looking for me?" Cameron asked.

"Yeah! So we could eat pudding! But since I couldn't find you, I just asked good old Nowa instead!" Neptune confirmed. Now Noire had her attention focused on Neptune.

Before anything else could happen, though, Cameron spoke up again. "Neptune, Noire, don't start another fight this late. Come on, let's just go back to the hotel room. I'm bushed."

Despite the looks Noire gave him, she nevertheless joined Cameron in the notion that they should head back. Besides… there was something off in this picture. Maybe… maybe she could talk to him one more time before bed.

Thankfully, she got her chance. Once the three made it back to the hotel, she went into her room and waited while Cameron did a few more things in the main room. When he was just about to pass her room, she pulled the door open and grabbed him by the arm, pulling him in faster than he could process.

The next thing Cameron knew, his back was to the wall, and the black-haired tsundere was in front of him. "Alright, talk." was the first thing that came from her lips.

"What are you-"

"You know what I'm talking about." Noire interrupted. "I don't think you told us everything earlier."

"I told you the truth."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yes! Of course I told the truth!"

His eye just barely twitched to the side.

"Okay… did you tell us _only_ the truth?"

"I don't…"

"Did you tell us the full, _complete_ , truth?"

Cameron was strong, but he knew that his lie was weakening. "I… n-no… not the whole truth."

"What else to the story is there?"

"W-well… I… I heard the door opening from the balcony and followed you guys to that clearing." Cameron admitted.

Noire blushed hard again. "How much did you see?"

The blush that formed on Cameron's face told her more than enough. "Oh no… you s-saw… all of th-that…"

"Agree to never tell Neptune?" Cameron instantly added.

"Agreed." Noire said softly, still wondering how she had missed the six-foot-something giant in front of her while with Neptune.

 _(You really shouldn't have let me read this story if you still wanted that to be a secret, guys. Come on, this is secret keeping 101.)_

An awkward silence filled the air, as the pair tried to take everything in.

"L-look, Noire…" Cameron started. "I-if-if i had known that THAT'S what I was walking into, I would've stayed away. But… I was curious. You and Neptune almost never hang out together, so… you know? I just wanted to know."

Noire sighed a little bit. "Yeah… I guess so… but remember that curiosity killed the cat. Don't try to do something like that where there's even the smallest chance of you getting hurt. Okay?"

"Hey, if I recall, it was me following you, no?" Cameron said. "And look at me. Unscatted!"

"Why, you little…!" Noire said, before retracting her 'little' statement. Cameron was a little more than a foot taller than her. "Ugh…"

"Ah I'm just messing with ya." Cameron said, clasping Noire's shoulder with his hand. "But… in all seriousness… I guess I would deserve something like that. After all, there I was getting mad at YOU for stalking me, yet now it's MY turn. Irony, huh?"

A small silence filled the room, leaving both people thinking about the events that had just transpired. Noire shrugged Cameron's hand off her shoulder.

"Well… guess I'll take my leave then. Night." Cameron said, reaching for the door handle.

Just before he did, however, Noire's hand came around and grabbed his wrist. When he looked back with a questioning look, Noire blushed a bit, before saying, "Um… if… if we ever get a chance… do you… do you think we can just… talk? Like… just talk about things… um, tomorrow?"

Cameron looked surprised for maybe a fraction of a second before his face became normal. "I mean… if you want to, then… sure, I guess."

Noire sighed gratefully, letting his wrist go and allowing him to walk out of her room.

An hour later, Noire still found herself awake, thinking about her next move. She felt closer to Avenir's goals now more than ever. All she had to do was do a bit more work.

'I can't believe that it's all thanks to Neptune though…' she thought. 'One minute I'm fighting her, the next I… I almost think of her as a fr…'

She shook her head and rolled over. 'Ugh… it almost hurts to say that… but, if it means getting my land back…'

 _(Dang it, she almost said it! So close...)_

She closed her eyes. 'Maybe… maybe I should talk to Cameron… he seems… like a person I can trust. I don't know how long the work will take tomorrow, but if I do get the chance… then I should tell him.'

'But… would he look at me the same, knowing who I really am? How… how can I just say that I'm the goddess?'

Noire decided to sleep on it tonight, think about her next move while there's still time. She tried to fall asleep but once again forgot the grab a glass of water before hitting the hay.

On the way back from the kitchen, glass in hand, she decided to listen in on Cameron's room. She put her ear up to the door again, and listened closely.

A soft snoring was heard through it, and soft mumbling could be faintly made out. Noire tried to listen close to see if he would make any sudden outbursts again.

Unfortunately, she wasn't the only person with that plan.

"Noire?" a voice behind her called out. Noire jumped half a foot in the air before turning around. Standing there was none other than IF, only wearing her black one piece. She had let her hair down, which looked strange given that you could see how long her hair really was.

"I-IF?" Noire stammered.

"Are… are you doing it too?"

"Wait… what?" Noire asked, instantly confused.

"I… I was listening to see if Cameron would… change again. He clearly doesn't remember anything, but his dreams do, so… maybe if I could listen to his 'conversations', then I can… you know, help him remember who he is."

Noire nodded slowly, a soft blush coming to her face as she realized that that was what she really wanted to do. She… she had been HOPING for Cameron to change again, so that… she could help him.

"He… he looks happy the way his is now…" Noire said softly.

"He definitely is. Which is why… I'm almost not sure if we should get his memory back. Because… think about those… 'episodes' we've seen. If… if his memory returns… what will happen?"

Both girls stayed quiet for a long time, listening to the gentle breathing of Cameron right in front of them. They both wished to hear something but also to not hear anything.

Fortunately, the latter was the case, as Cameron would not have any outbursts tonight. Both girls listened for another ten minutes before deciding to leave it alone for the night. They were tired, and would have to get up early to be able to do more work for Avenir.

Bidding each other goodnight, they adjourned to their respective rooms.

And quickly found a deep, peaceful rest.

 _Time skip to 10 am the next morning…_

"Okay, we're going to Avenir again today. You ready?" IF asked.

The group was gathering everything they needed for another quest. They were doing one last group check in the living room, making sure everything was ready.

"Yes, all ready. How about you, Neptune?" Noire nodded, her glasses on already.

"I'm all-righty, righty!" Neptune cheered.

Compa smiled gently. "Noire and Neptune are such good friends now." she said to Cameron, not troubling to keep her voice down.

"I-I'm not that much of a friend with Neptune, you know?" Noire denied.

"Suuuuuure." Cameron said, shaking his head with the stupidest smile on his face.

Neptune shared that outlook. "Oh come now, Noire. You shy little you."

At that very moment, someone knocked on the door and came in. It was Chian, and she looked relieved to see the group there and ready to work.

"Oh good! I'm glad I came got here when I did." she said, wiping her forehead. "Sorry to be abrupt here, but can you test a weapon again for me?"

"You already revised the weapon?!" Cameron asked ludicrously as Chian handed him the new weapon.

"That's mighty fast to finish it up in a day or two." IF commented.

"Yeah, well, your feedback kept me up all night. Pretty exciting data." Chian said. She definitely looked as if she had been up all night, what with the messier-than-usual hair and the small bags under her eyes. "Look, if you can just do what you did last time, testing it on the side with Avenir's work, I'd appreciate it."

"Allright. Not a problem." IF said, shrugging.

Cameron was busy looking at the new model. Nothing seemed to be different about it from the previous model, save for the new name on it. 'Armas Test Model 1.01'. How original.

 _(Original indeed.)_

In any event, the group decided to give Neptune the sword again, since Cameron also had his arm cannon to fight with. Made sense.

After stopping at the Guild once more the get more work, they found another Avenir contract that just popped up today, so they eagerly took it. The screen told our heroes to go to an abandoned factory on the outskirts of Lastation.

Neptune seemed to be less unwilling to do Avenir's work at least. "And so, Nep and family have arrived to a closed factory for Avenir' work!" she commented, putting on a fake narrator voice.

"*sigh* You're happy, as usual." Noire said with a huff.

"Hey, when you don't have your memory, you can do whatever you want!" Neptune countered.

"I sometimes admire your free nature…" Noire said, almost wistfully. "In any case, what's this about being called to this kind of place?"

Just then they rounded a corner and found none other than Ganache waiting in front of the factory door. "It's been a while folks. I'm glad it's you five taking our work again."

"Hiya there!" Neptune said happily. Whether or not she was putting on a fake happy voice seeing Ganache again was the real question. "You must really work a lot. Don't get burned out, you hear?"

"Do I look that busy?" Ganache asked, stretching a little. "I have been taking my breaks quite liberally."

"I wish I could take breaks when I want, too." Compa said softly, thinking about her nursing job.

"Well, to be fair, most of our work is done by machines, so things are easy. Now, back to business. Let's get right into the subject. As you can plainly see, it has been years since this facility has been in operation."

"So, what's the point of us being here then?" Cameron asked, eyeing Ganache carefully. He still didn't trust him, and for good reason.

"You see, there is a certain item held inside that we have not recovered since the closure. We want you to find it, and bring it back to us." Ganache explained.

"A fetch quest? Wow, sounds even easier than before." Neptune commented, voicing the thoughts of the rest of the group.

"It does, doesn't it? Well, on the contrary, there's monsters there now." Ganache said.

"I see. So you need us to go in there and take care of that, too." IF summed up.

"So what's the thing we need to get? Judging from how you talk about it, I'm assuming it's not just some random monster drop." Cameron asked.

"It is a certain ore. We call it the 'Lastelite.' Just one gram of it holds enough energy to power a game console for ten thousand years." Ganache explained. "The excavation of it is difficult, so we'd like to recover what we have."

IF looked doubtful. "I've… never heard of such an ore before."

Noire looked confused as well. "'Lastelite'... I've never heard of it, too."

"Shouldn't something like that have been all over the news when you guys found it?" Cameron asked, his eyebrows scrunching.

"Yeah, if it's that great, I would've at the very least heard about it." IF added.

"Well, of course." Ganache agreed. "We held monopoly of this ore. We did not disclose it for the sake of holding full control of it. If everyone and their mother knew about it, what good would that do for us?"

Neptune had a different look on this ore. "Well, if it's that super, do you mind giving us a small, wee bit?" she asked.

"Hey, Nep, no fooling around now." IF said quickly.

"But, Iffy! It can run game consoles for 10,000 years!" Neptune argued. "It's like the magic power we gamers were looking for all our lives!"

 _(Seriously, I NEED THIS IN MY LIFE. WE ALL DO.)_

"Hmmm…" Ganache hummed, thinking. "Well… if you do this job well, then I think we may be able to spare a small bit of it. Would that be good?"

"Really?!" Neptune asked giddily, as thoughts of playing games till the end of time filled her head.

"I don't see why not. We were able to work efficiently because of your work last time." Ganache said. "Just as long as we have your word that you will keep this a secret."

"Yay!" Neptune said joyfully. "I thought Avenir was kind of bleh, but Ganache saved the day!"

For just having his company dissed, Ganache seemed rather unfazed. That, or he had a really good poker face. "I'm happy to know that. Now, we don't want to waste time here. Please take care of this order."

"Okay! Leave it to Captain Nep and her friendly crew!" Neptune said happily.

"Sure, Captain. Lead us to the depths of the ocean…" IF said, shaking her head.

Ganache opened the door for our heroes, and they quickly filed in. But just as Noire entered, and they took their first look at the building, the door behind them slammed shut.

"Wha-?!" Noire exclaimed in surprise.

"Ganache? Why'd the door close behind us?!" IF yelled.

"Oh, whoops. My bad. I must have pressed something." Ganache replied. "...well, not exactly. Truthfully, I shut it for my convenience. I have a new job for you five, and that's to satisfy the hunger of the monsters in there."

"Wha-what do you mean?!" Compa asked, scared.

"Hey! What?! Why?! I'm not gonna go get your precious ore if you do this!" Neptune called out.

Ganache laughed. "I'm surprised you've actually believed what I said. Of course there's no such thing as an ore that can house THAT much energy."

"You tricked us?! Why?!" Cameron exclaimed, getting angrier and angrier by the second.

"I already know that you are assisting Chian of Passe. I assume you were trying to get information on our exhibit plans, no?" Ganache said, his voice rich with triumph.

"I-Iffy, they knew all along!" Neptune said fearfully.

"I can't believe they knew about that…" IF said softly.

"We would win, regardless, but I'm the careful type, you know." Ganache said. "Now, I don't have much time, so I need to go. Farewell."

"Wait, Ganache!" IF said, but by then the footsteps of him leaving the area were long gone.

"Ganache! You dirty… I'm gonna kill 'em!" Cameron said, trying to open the hatch. The wheel wouldn't turn, either due to rust or Ganache had locked it from the outside.

Even with all the other girls helping him, the door wouldn't budge. Cameron even got desperate enough to fire some missiles from his arm cannon, but they barely left a dent. "Damn it! Won't open…"

"Looks like that way out is sealed tight." Noire said, slumping over sadly.

"Iffy… what's gonna happen to us?" Compa asked, more scared now than ever.

"Umm… well…" IF said, for once out of ideas.

Cameron was looking around the immediate area. "Let's see… a big hole in the ceiling… a window over there… air vent… gah! None of those are good ways! Hole and window are too high up, and we don't know where that vent might go!"

Noire looked around at all the confusion, panic, anger… it almost looked as though she would start crying. "I'm… I'm sorry… this is all my fault… if I didn't suggest taking Avenir's work, this wouldn't have…" she said softly.

Compa looked ready to cry if someone didn't say something else. Seeing that, Neptune had to take action. "Oh, c'mon, gals and guy! What's the matter? This isn't like us! It's not like we can't get out. We just have to try to look for another way!"

The other four looked at Neptune in… surprise. She looked calm, collected… hopeful. "N-Neptune…" Noire said softly…

 _(Hey, just because I joke around all the time doesn't mean I can't be at least a LITTLE serious!)_

Cameron slowly calmed down. "Neptune is right… this is large area. There has to be another door or something to get out."

IF was getting her motivation back. "I'm not one to become monster food! Let's go!"

That would be easier said than done, however. There were quite a few monsters along the only path forward, and they were strong too. Granted, they died after a few hits still, but they still did some decent damage.

After only fighting one group of them, Compa looked worried again. "Aaah...there's so many monsters here…"

"They just keep on spawning like some military game!" Neptune said.

"Odd… even if this was a monster's nest, this is way too many." IF said thoughtfully.

"Could it be possible that Avenir gathered them here to finish us?" Noire tried.

"Even if that was the case, how? How can you herd monsters of this number?" IF asked.

Noire had to agree with her logic, but at that moment, Cameron saw something. "Wait, wait wait wait… no way!"

"What?" Neptune asked, as Cameron bent over to pick up something.

He pried the object out of the ground it was lodged in, and looked at it closely before turning around. "Call me crazy, but I think we found our monster source." he said, holding… a disc.

IF's eyes widened. "That's… an Enemy Disc! How'd you see that?!"

Neptune looked joyful. "Ooh! Does he get a prize for finding it? I bet he'll take.. Ohhh… ten puddings!" she said, dropping an obvious hint.

"Uh, no." Cameron and IF said at the same time.

 _(Dang it. No one wants to feed the Nep. Why not?! I'm lovable!)_

Noire was lost, and not for the first time. "What are you all talking about? What's this about a disc?"

Cameron filled her in. "This looks like any disc out there, but it's actually a monster generator."

Noire's eyes became wide. "What?! Seriously?! If so, that's an amazing discovery!"

"Is it really that amazing?" Compa asked.

"Yes. It's been three whole years since monsters started to appear. Each Land is trying to figure out the source, but none have succeeded yet."

Stars were in Neptune's eyes. "If we disclose this, then could we maybe be famous?! Can you imagine all the paparazzi storming in for picture shots and stuff?! We'll be rich! I'll make a pool full of pudding! Mmm… pudding…"

"Um, Nep-Nep? You might want to wipe that drool from your mouth…" Compa pointed out.

"Did you let Lastation's CPU… no, the Basilicom know?" Noire asked.

IF sighed. "We were going to, but we were pretty much kicked out without a chance."

"I see…" Noire said, looking visibly relieved.

"Well… what do you want me to do with it? I could maybe blast it in slow-mo, if you want." Cameron asked.

IF shook her head, remembering that Cameron could joke around if he wanted. "This isn't a music video or anything… let's just hurry up and break it."

And of course, at that moment, the disc shone brightly in Cameron's hand. Startled, he dropped it and backed up towards the girls.

"Oh, how cliche. Monsters appearing just when we're going to break it." IF said.

"See, Iffy? What you said prior must have triggered a flag!" Neptune said dejectedly.

The disc flashed one more time, brighter than normal, and then appeared some monsters. "Oh great! Now we got some other odd-looking one here!"

Noire sighed angrily as she drew her blade. "This is going to be a pain handling all of them."

Cameron had a different take. "Say what you want, but I'm half glad about this. More things to vent my rage at!"

Compa looked right at Neptune. "Nep-Nep! Now's the time to transform!"

"Alright! Leave it to me! Transform!" Nep replied, confidence building.

Another bright flash of light later, there stood transformed Neptune, blade already drawn. "I'm going full force here!"

Compa looked happy. "Nep-Nep feels 100x more reliable in that form." she commented.

One of the monsters in front of the group growled, making it and the rest charge. "Here they come!" Neptune yelled.

 _One epic fight scene the author was too lazy to write later…_

 _(Seriously, stop doing my job for me! I'm the one who's gonna poke fun at you, Author!)_

With one more desperate, weak call, the last monster fell and disappeared. Neptune breathed a sigh of relief, wiping her brow.

"Whew… fighting all of them in this form is really tiring." she said, indeed looking more drained than usual. With a flash, she returned to her normal self. "Haaah… I'm beat…"

"Good work, Nep-Nep. You were really great back there." Compa praised, patting Neptune's head.

Neptune instantly starting taking in the praise. "Heh heh, really? Well, now I have another reason to transform."

IF stepped in quickly. "Compa, don't flatter her too much. It'll get out of hand."

Neptune didn't like that. "Oh, come on. I was MVP back there, so go ahead, praise me. That or you could pamper me if you don't want to praise me. I'll take either."

"You'd better stop while you're ahead…" IF threatened. Effectively, Neptune quickly became quiet.

IF sighed. "Joking aside, Nep, you did great. Thank you."

"Heh heh heh. I got praised by Iffy!" Neptune said happily, eyes closed.

"Neptune, even I have to say that you are a kid in the most strangest places." Cameron said, looking at Neptune's happy face. "But back on subject, it's a little strange to have this much of a monster infested place, no?"

"Well then, maybe there's a Key Fragment here. Right, Iffy?" Neptune asked.

"It's very well possible." IF agreed, looking around again.

Noire looked confused again. "Key Fragment? What's that?"

The group suddenly realized that they had forgotten to tell Noire about Histoire and the Key Fragments. "We didn't tell you about those yet, did we? So sorry." Neptune said.

Cameron pulled the small blue piece of metal out of his bag and held it out. "It looks like this. Ever seen one at all?"

"Never have… why? Are you collecting these?" Noire asked.

"Hahaha…! Glad you asked" Neptune said giddily. "It's to revive Histy and to save the world!"

Noire was silent for maybe ten seconds before speaking again. "Ah… um… IF? Is… she okay?"

IF sighed, deeply, shaking her head. "A little too late at birth, I suspect."

Neptune didn't like that. "Hey! How rude! Even the docile me is angry now!"

"I'm just joking, Nep." IF said quickly, before turning to Noire. "We need them to release a tome named Histoire…"

"Who is this 'Histy'...? How does this person know more than I do?" Noire said quietly.

Neptune noticed. "Hm? What's the matter, Noire? You got a bug in your mouth?"

"Huh? Ah, no, I'm just mumbling to myself. Don't let it bother you." Noire responded.

"Oh, I thought you went nutty in the head with all the pressure, Noire." Nep said. "Well, if that happens, don't worry. I'm sure psychiatrists can help."

"You're the one who needs help in the head!" Noire rebutted, before sighing. "I can't believe how lax you're approaching all this…"

Compa didn't fully understand all that was going on, but shook her head happily anyway. "You're so friendly with Nep-Nep, Noire."

"What?! Me? Neptune? Of course not! You've got to be kidding!" Noire denied.

"SHOCKER!" Neptune said sadly. "Ouch… I thought we were like war buddies and all. Friends above friends…"

Then Nep thought of something. "Wait! Maybe your affection towards me is one notch higher… like love?!"

Neptune literally started blushing a bit. "I, ah, didn't know… um, I appreciate the feeling, but ah… you know, I'm a girl, you're a girl… you know what I mean? But… if you REALLY want me, I guess I can… accept you."

 _(And all over the world, all kinds of fan fiction started being made that day.)_

Noire gagged instinctively. "Are you stupid?! Love?! I don't even LIKE you!"

"Oh, come now. No need to be shy. You're so 'tsundere' and all." Neptune said, staring.

Noire stepped closer to Neptune and poked her in the forehead a few times. "Read. My. Lips. I don't like you! In fact, I think I hate you now. I… *sigh* Why am I even arguing with you?! You three! Some help here?!"

"Oh now, you really do like Nep-Nep after all." Compa said with a smile.

"Hey, I'm not gonna judge." Cameron said, holding up his hands. "You two are great for each other."

"It's almost as if you two were made for each other. Yin and Yang." IF added, not troubling to hide her grin. "Well, let's find a way out. You girls can do whatever at the hotel."

That instantly made everyone present turn in surprise at IF.

"H-H-H-HOTEL?!" Noire cried out in surprise.

"I-Iffy?!" Neptune cried out in equal surprise.

"?" Compa looked confused.

Cameron didn't say anything, only stared at IF.

"Hm? What's the matter?" IF asked. Two seconds later, she realized what she said.

"H-Huh? ...Oh… no… no! Don't misunderstand me! I didn't say 'do' whatever at the hotel in that sense! No, not at all! Y-you both have your mind in the gutter!"

Neptune started to grin. She leaned forward and said, "Oh, Iffy. You're so C-U-T-E, blushing and all."

Noire joined in as well, leaning forward and saying, "Yes, you really are C-U-T-E."

Compa even got in on it. "Yes, C-U-T-E."

"Et tu, Compa?!" IF said ludicrously. Quickly, she turned to where Cameron was, hoping that at least HE would have some sense.

"Now now, girls. I don't really think this teasing is needed." he said, looking at Neptune. His face was normal, but his eyes… he was building up to something.

IF looked a small bit relieved, but Cameron wasn't done. "No, not at all. Besides, you're using the wrong word."

IF became wide-eyed. "No…"

"I think…"

"Cameron, don't you dare…"

"That miss Iffy, is more… KA-WA-II!" he finished, the biggest grin on his face.

 _(Not gonna lie: That timing was golden. That was a good joke.)_

The results were perfect. IF's face became even paler, and the others were almost doubled over laughing. "H-hey! S-stop teasing me already!"

She pushed a grinning Cameron out of the way and snapped the Enemy Disc under her foot. "Th-the di-disc is already borken… no! Broken! Le-le-let's g-g-gooo!"

IF quickly ran off, followed by the rest of the party, still laughing and grinning.

"Oh, the author's been waiting a long time to use that joke!" Cameron said, high-fiving Neptune.

"I didn't expect to see the cute, bashful side of Iffy there." Neptune commented, still grinning like crazy. "I guess the plan worked out fine, getting that side out. Nice work, Noire!"

Noire quickly denied Neptune as best as she could. "I-I didn't do it for you or anything, you know?"

Neptune saw weakness. "Ohoho? So was that talk back there Noire's true desire…?"

Noire was done. "Stop it already! Stop joking and let's move on!"

"Ahahahaha, sorry. You're just fun to tease!" Neptune commented.

Compa merely shook her head as she looked at Cameron. "Nep-Nep and Noire are really great friends after all."

"They sure are." Cameron said softly, watching the pair bicker back and forth.

They may have been trapped in a dark factory with monsters roaming around everywhere…

But at least they still were the same they always had been.

 **And that's the end! Man, that was a bit longer than normal! Maybe this is sort of my repayment for being so late before. That or I just lost track of how many words I was putting on a page. Your pick.**

 **Anyway guys, I hope you all have enjoyed! I wonder if any of you are still trying to figure out my OC's past. Well, it's certainly interesting to hear all the theories, so I'm not complaining. But by the time we do get to backstory, I'm willing to bet more than a few minds will be blown.**

 **As always, if you guys have any questions for me, PM me and I will try to answer them to the best of my ability. Until next time guys, stay awesome.**

 _(And until next time, this is Neptune, signing off for the day! BTW: I'm willing to answer some questions from you guys, if you want. Just PM the author. I'll find them.)_


	14. The Goddess is Revealed

**Hello to you, my awesome readers out there! It's ButterHunter here, back with another chapter to HyperDimension Neptunia, Volume C!**

 **Back to the madness!**

Chapter 14: The Goddess is Revealed

After the group rejoined with IF, who seemed to be at least somewhat recollected at that point, they continued their slow slog through the rest of the factory. Despite having destroyed the Enemy Disc, the monsters still seemed much too numerous. Not to mention rather stronger than most, but that was okay due to the group's grinding habits.

 _(First Law of RPG's: Grind EVERYTHING in sight.)_

After another ten minutes, the group was halfway into the factory, with many, many monsters defeated, with who knows how many more ahead.

Cameron seemed rather on guard. Knowing that Ganache trapped them here on purpose, something big must be here. He rounded a corner, arm cannon already out and ready to fire, but saw no monsters. "All clear."

"Finally!" Neptune said, looking rather winded. The rest of the group was no better. "Can we rest for a minute or two? My feet are killing me by now."

"My tootsies hurt too…" Compa added. "Please, can we rest?"

Normally, IF would complain about this, but seeing as how a break would be good for her as well, she allowed it. "Yeah, go ahead. Ten minutes, max."

"Thank you…" Cameron said, instantly slumping against the wall and taking off his shoes. Either he needed to do more walking, or get some shoe pads, or something, because his feet always seemed to be crying out in pain at this point.

The others split up as well, with Compa and Neptune heading over to the other side to talk while they rested, and IF to do a brief bit of scouting around before she'd take a break.

Then, Cameron heard someone sit next to him. Noire.

The two didn't say anything at first, just sort of… accepted each other's presence. It was eerily quiet for a good minute or so.

Then, Noire spoke up.

"It's all my fault."

Cameron looked up, surprised. "What?"

"It's all my fault we got stuck in this place." she said, her forehead resting on her pulled up knees. "I was the one who suggested doing Avenir's work in the first place, and now look where that got us. Trapped in this broken factory, barely keeping the monsters off us, and still we have no idea where the exit is. I… I…"

Noire had started off weak to begin with, but now her voice on the verge of disappearing. Small tear droplets started to form in the pits of her eyes. "I… I'm so sorry… I'm… I'm…"

Suddenly, a pair of arms wrapped around her tightly, and a voice said, "Hey hey hey… don't cry."

Cameron. He was holding Noire comfortingly, his eyes closed. "It's gonna be okay. Just calm down." he said, patting Noire gently on the back.

Noire was tense for the count of five. Then, she couldn't hold it back anymore. The dam had burst. The tears slowly fell from her eyes, landing on Cameron's shoulder.

Cameron simply patted her back, saying, "Shhh… shhh… it's okay… shh…"

Noire could hardly believe her current situation. She, the powerful goddess of Lastation, was crying onto a human's shoulder while he hugged her. It… it was different. And… it felt… peaceful.

Her sobs gently rang out, only loud enough for Cameron to hear. All Cameron would do was pat her back, and say something comforting. That's all.

Frankly, that's all he really needed to do.

 _(Gag me. This is way, WAY too sappy to be true, right? Er… right?)_

Finally, after a few minutes, Noire was able to stop crying. But she let Cameron hold her for a bit longer, just because… she needed the comfort.

When she did pull away, Cameron asked, "You feel better now?"

Noire nodded, a bit red in the eyes. "Good." he replied, sighing in relief a little bit.

The two didn't say anything for a while. Only just… thought about what to say.

"Hey…" Cameron said, putting his hand on hers. "If… if you want to talk to me about something… anything at all, that's on your mind… just ask me, okay? I'm more than happy to be a listener."

Noire stared at him, not moving save for the occasional small sniffle. Then…

Cameron suddenly was staring at the wall. Noire had rushed forward and tackled the guy into another hug, squeezing him tightly. After a second of surprise, he returned the gesture, not saying anything.

Meanwhile, a bit further away, Neptune was watching this scene unfold very curiously. Noire never seemed to show much emotion with the group before, but now she was being reduced to tears. She couldn't hear what they were saying, and that bothered her slightly. Just what was going on over there…?

"Nep-Nep? Hello?" Compa said, waving a hand in front of Nep's face. Neptune snaped back to reality, looking back as Compa asked, "Didn't you hear me? I asked which pudding you wanted while you rest."

"O-oh, uh…" Neptune said, growing hot in the face. She missed a question about pudding? Damn, she must have really been focused on those two…

 _(*blushes deeply*... I uh… no comment.)_

"Th-the banana one, please…" she said softly, trying to return to resting and not looking at those two over there. She couldn't help but feel some twangs of jealousy hit her everytime she glanced over and saw those two talking together…

'Argh… snap out of it Neptune!' she told herself. 'Those two are just having a talk. Yeah… a talk. Noire isn't trying to make a move on him, not in the slightest…'

'Right?'

 _Some time later…_

"Damn it… fucking hell."

Cameron was swearing due to where the group seemed to have ended up. Once IF had gotten back, everyone felt ready to move again, but now, five minutes later, the worst thing that could've happened did.

A split in the road.

"Who builds a factory with two massive hallways right next to each other?!" he complained loudly, trying to see as far down each as he could.

"Don't know, and really don't think we want to know." IF said, studying each path as well. There seemed to only be a few small monsters down each, nothing too terrible.

"Well… what now? Should we just split up?" Compa asked.

IF clearly didn't like that idea. "Normally, I would say yes, but this isn't normal. We're locked in this factory, after all, and have no idea where an exit is."

"Still… it'd take far too long just to search both paths as one party." Cameron reasoned. "If we split, we could search a much larger area that much faster."

"True…" IF said, still not fully convinced.

"I don't like splitting up either, but…" Neptune said. "I think it's the best plan we have at the moment."

The rest of the party, some more reluctant than others, agreed. "Okay, so… who's with who?" Cameron asked.

No one spoke up for five seconds. Then…

"I'll… I'll go with Cameron."

Noire spoke up, for the first time since the group started moving again. Everyone, Cameron included, stared at Noire in surprise.

"W-what?" she asked. "I… I think we should do it alone this time. After all, since Neptune can transform, you, Compa, and IF should go together as a group."

"Not saying that it's totally bonkers loco…" Neptune said, twirling a finger next to her head. "But why do you want to partner with him?"

"I… I have my reasons." Noire said, unable to say that… she wanted to tell Cameron about things. Things she couldn't tell the others. Not yet, at least. Somehow, Cameron just… had a certain charm about him, like you could share anything with him, and he'd understand. Not saying the others weren't like that, but…

The group quiet again for five seconds. IF, Compa, and Neptune looked over at Cameron, who simply shrugged. His eyes said, 'I don't know. Should I?'

Finally, Neptune took a short breath, and said, "I… guess it's fine. You two go together, and I'll stick with Compa and Iffy."

"I'm okay with that, I suppose." Compa said, a little bit unsure of herself.

IF didn't know what to say, so she simply let her actions speak for a bit. Unclipping one of her cell phones, she tossed it to Cameron, and said, "To keep in touch. If you find an exit, or something worthy of note, call me. My number is on there."

Cameron nodded, before stuffing the phone in his pocket and turning to Noire. "You ready?"

Noire nodded. She hid it very well, but you could see that she was very happy that she'd get the chance to be alone with Cameron for a while.

After a few more minutes of prep work, like trading some health packs between groups, both groups headed down their own way, Cameron and Noire going down the path on the right, the others on the left.

 _Neptune has left the party._

 _Compa has left the party._

 _IF has left the party._

 _(Grr… did you really just say that I left MY party, author?! Are you questioning my role as the main character?!)_

 **(Um, Neptune? This isn't the only time you 'leave' the party. There's a scene coming up that you have to leave in, remember?)**

 _(STILL! Are you really going to question my role as main character?!)_

 **(Who on Earth said I was? I'm simply stating that we are following my own character and Noire for this bit. Let it go.)**

 _(Grrr… I got my eye on you, author… I'm always watching… ALWAYS!)_

After they split up, Cameron and Noire walked deeper into the depths of the factory. Thankfully, the monsters seemed a bit more scarce here, so they were able to make up for the lack of other members.

Even so, they only were able to last about ten minutes before they needed another break, due to tiredness. It's not easy to just lose three members of your team and quickly adapt to it.

"Hah… hah…" Cameron panted, leaning against the wall. "How much longer… is this freaking… hallway?"

Noire couldn't answer, she was too busy catching her breath as well. They both sat down on the ground, the light of a far away window shining down on them.

Finally catching his breath, Cameron managed to turn to Noire, who also looked mostly recovered by now. "How much longer do you think this place is?"

"No clue…" Noire said, trying to look down so that she could see any sort of ending. No dice. "I had no idea factories could be made this big…"

"Well, now you know." Cameron said, rolling his eyes.

They stayed quiet for a bit longer, before Cameron asked something he'd been meaning to ask since the group split.

"Noire? If it's okay to ask… why did you want to partner with me?" he asked gently. He didn't know a lot about Noire, but one thing was certain: asking the wrong questions might easily set her off.

Noire looked down at her hands. She sighed. She was afraid he would ask that.

"You don't have to answer, of course." Cameron quickly said, holding his hands up defensively. "I… I just was wondering why you…"

"..." Noire looked directly at him, not saying anything, just… staring.

Fortunately, he got the message and stopped talking. Now Noire looked… a bit more relaxed. She took a small breath in…

And said, "I… I wanted to talk to you about… who I am."

 _Meanwhile, forty miles away from Lastation…_

"Die!"

With the loud slicing sound of a sword, the last two monsters disappeared, leaving the normal monster drops and credits, and per usual. The wielder of the sword was none other than Johnanthan Haywood, in the middle of the forest. He seemed more tired than before, due to lots of fighting, perhaps?

In any case, he started wondering aloud to himself. "Well… that was a thing. I can't believe those monsters all came out of nowhere like that…"

He went over to the edge of the clearing he was in and sat on a log nearby, wiping his forehead with a cloth towel. "Well… the area's safe now, so I'd better wait." he spoke quietly to himself.

He waited. Five minutes passed. Then ten. Slowly but surely, he was getting impatient. He checked the email again, then again, just to make sure he wasn't in the wrong area.

 _To: Mr. Johnathan Haywood._

 _Subject: None_

 _I have an important message to give to Mr. Haywood. When possible, meet me in THELAD SANCTUARY, in the first clearing, at 11 o'clock sharp._

 _For Mr. Haywood's eyes only. Bring no other party members._

 _Sincerely,_

 _Anonymous._

'Well… this isn't the first time I've gotten messages like that. Hell, most people don't even included something like Anonymous at the end.' Haywood thought, wondering who 'Anonymous' was. Most of his 'contacts' rarely gave him their names, for 'confidentiality reasons', but that was okay to him. The less names to remember, the better.

But still… something didn't feel right. Like, how this new contact asked him to get there solo. And something else too. That subject line… or rather, the lack thereof. Most contacts just put some bogus headline there, like 'Recent Hair Appointment', or something along those lines. Never did they leave it blank…

'And… this clearing… the first clearing it says…' he thought, rereading the email. He just finished clearing out what looked like a literal sea of monsters, all packed into this tiny little space. 'My contacts would never lead me somewhere that infested with monsters…'

He'd been thinking for so long, another three minutes had passed. "Eh… maybe I'll go walk for a bit. I think this place has a great view of the Land not far from the entrance here…" he said to himself.

He exited the sanctuary and found the spot, where he could see Lastation and all of its glor-

Wait. Was that… black smoke coming from there? Black smoke is something seen often from the factories and such, but not like that! It's like…

"A fire." he said to himself. "Or something worse."

And then… a loud mechanical crash rang out, loud enough to hear from this distance, and a small building seemed to collapse right before Haywood's very eyes.

He was shocked stiff for maybe ten seconds. Then he grabbed his pistol. "No one fucks with MY home!" he yelled angrily, before dashing down the path to get into the city. Whoever this contact was, he could wait.

 _Thirteen minutes earlier, with Cameron and Noire…_

"About… who you are?" Cameron asked.

"Y-yeah… I… I um…" Noire said, looking off to the side shyly. "I just feel that… you should know who I am, and… I wanted to talk about… things, since we're… here."

Cameron wasn't sure how to react to this. Noire, the hard-headed tsundere, opening up to a man? Impossible! Unimaginable! Unthinkable!

"I… I guess if you want to talk, then…" Cameron said, leaning against the wall. "We are taking a break. Talk away."

Noire looked visibly relieved. "Thank you…"

They stayed quiet for a minute or so, until Cameron remembered something.

"I… I kinda have wondered… why did you stay with us?" he asked. "What's… you know, your reason for staying?"

Noire thought for a second. She knew that telling him straight up about her goddesshood would probably not go over well with him. So… how should she tell him?

"W-well…" she started. "I… I wasn't sure myself, but… once I learned that you guys were trying to help Lastation… I wanted to help make things right."

"So you knew about Avenir long ago?" Cameron questioned.

Noire shook her head. "No… actually, only… a few days ago did I find out about them surprisingly…"

Cameron raised an eyebrow. "Wait, I thought you grew up here. How did you only just recently…"

"I hadn't been in the Land for a while." Noire said, which was very true. She'd been up in Celestia, fighting the other goddesses, when Avenir took over. "But once I knew something wasn't right in my home… I had to do something. Right?"

Cameron nodded. "Yeah, I'd probably fight for my home if something threatened it."

"Exactly." Noire agreed. "Really, though, I've been helping Lastation for… as long as I can remember. I… I love Lastation. I don't want to see it fall."

Noire grew quiet. Bad thoughts started creeping into her mind. The entire city, suddenly wiped off the map, with Avenir the cause of it… she shuddered to think of it.

Cameron, meanwhile, was thinking hard about this. He'd been trying his best to figure out who Noire really was ever since they met. This conversation seemed to be getting him very close to finding that out.

Nothing about the conversation on Noire's part seemed false, that much he could tell. But… somehow, he got the impression he wasn't getting the whole story.

There just seemed to be one missing detail, one tiny, tiny thought that kept everything from falling into place. What was it…?

"A-anyway…" Noire said, shaking off her fear. Cameron snapped back to reality, realizing just how far into his thoughts he went as well. Fortunately, Noire didn't notice. "I… I will do anything, anything at all, to keep this nation on its feet… and away from enemies that will destroy it. I… do all that I can."

"Wow… sounds like you work too hard sometimes." Cameron commented.

Noire laughed weakly. "Well… I only do everything in this Land, so laziness can't be tolerated, right?"

She kept talking a bit more, but Cameron suddenly stopped listening.

'I only do everything in this Land.'

For some reason, that one phrase stuck in his mind. Now, he could easily tell by the joking tone in her voice that it was meant to be taken as a joke.

Key work there: 'meant'.

 _(Aaaaand Noire has now slipped up.)_

Cameron suddenly realized: what if she was speaking in the literal sense? And she really did do everything for this Land? Because… only one person would truly be able to say that.

'Despises the Basilicom due to Avenir…'

'Always tenses up around Neptune's jokes about her transforming…'

'Wants the very best for Lastation, her home…'

'That can only mean…'

The answer was so blatantly obvious now. How had he not seen it before? Was that the work of the plot, or just his overall character? Maybe both?

 _(Likely plot. Or… maybe both, actually. Who knows?)_

He involuntarily started shaking. Noire noticed that, and the glassy look his eyes held. "C-Cameron? Hello?" she asked, waving a hand.

"I…" he said softly.

"I… what?" Noire asked.

"I figured it out."

"What out?" Noire was confused.

"You're… you're not just a normal person. You're the one we wanted in the first place." Cameron said, hands shaking slightly. "You're Lady Black Heart."

The area was dead quiet for the count of ten. The two people present stared at each other, eyes wide.

Noire was in shock. 'He… he figured it out? H-how?! W-was… was I too obvious? Wh-when did he piece it together…?' she thought rapidly to herself.

Finally, Noire tried, and partly failed, to push away her shock. "W-w-what? M-me? The g-goddess? Piff, g-get real."

Cameron didn't buy it for a second. "Don't try to do that now, of all times. That's what you wanted to tell me, huh? You're the goddess, tagging along with us."

"I… I…" Noire started, before giving up. Even if she really wanted to keep up that lie, she couldn't. "Y… you're right… I am… Lady Black Heart…"

Again, dead silence filled the room. Cameron was in total shock. 'I… I don't believe it… I'm sitting next to the goddess!

"Why… why didn't you just tell us?" he asked quietly.

"I…" Noire started. "I… didn't think it would be wise."

Cameron stayed quiet. Noire felt beyond guilty. Now the one person who she thought she could trust suddenly didn't trust her back, she just knew it. What good could possibly come to her now, knowing that this lie she'd been trying to hide had just-

"You know what?" Cameron suddenly said, looking directly at her. Noire flinched a little bit, but looked right back at him.

"I… in my honest opinion…" he started, getting his thoughts together. "I don't think it really matters to me."

The silence that followed was deafening. Noire was… confused. "W-what?"

"I don't think it matters that you're the goddess." Cameron said. "I know who you really are, Noire, and that a hard worker who only wishes the best for the ones she cares about. Frankly… that's all I need to know. It doesn't matter to me if you are the goddess of the Land or just some random girl off the street. You stood by us, when most wouldn't. You took action, when others stood down. And because of that… being a goddess doesn't honestly make a difference in my mind."

Noire was completely thrown off guard. Here she thought that Cameron would only see her as a liar, only to find that… he really didn't care about it. What he did care about… was that she was helping a good cause.

"Y-you… you don't care? That… I've just been…" Noire started.

"Yeah, I realize that you lied to us, and I'm not happy about that." Cameron said quickly. "But… I guess I do kind of understand why you did."

He stood up, and held his hand out to Noire. "Now come on. Let's find our way out of this place."

Noire paused for a second or two before taking his hand and getting back to her feet. She… she suddenly felt… relaxed. She had been so stressed not telling anyone about her true colors, but now that she had… it was as if a huge weight were lifted from her shoulders.

"But promise me something." Cameron suddenly said, turning to her once more. "Promise me… that you will never lie to us with something like this ever again. Please."

Noire paused for the briefest moment before nodding. "Of course."

"Alright." Cameron said, visibly relieved. "Now let's find our way out of this dump."

He turned around, and took about 1.5 steps forward before suddenly, his borrowed cell phone rang.

"Hey. It's me." IF said through the tiny speaker. "I think we found our way out of here."

 _(Iffy Ex Machina.)_

 _Two minutes later…_

After the call, Cameron and Noire proceeded to run down the hallway, hoping that this would work.

Sure enough, just like IF said, there was a door at the very end of the hall. With bated breath, Cameron opened it, and, half trying to be badass, half ready if any monsters were there, rolled through it and came to a knee with arm cannon ready to fire.

"Nice stealth roll." a grinning Neptune said. "But work on opening the door more quietly."

Then all Cameron could see was purple. Neptune apparently tackled him in a hug, so happy to see he was still unharmed. Oh, and Noire too.

After breaking out of Neptune's grip, now he saw what IF had meant: next to the rejoined party was a massive map, that seemed to show all the factory bit by bit. Some of it was faded, but he could clearly make out the place the group had split at, as well as what appeared to be an emergency exit only around the next corner. Just what they needed.

 _Neptune rejoined the party!_

 _Compa rejoined the party!_

 _IF rejoined the party!_

Of course, life couldn't be that easy. Apparently Neptune, Compa, and IF's path had quite a lot of monsters, which was hard for them to deal with at times, but at least they were still kicking.

"Iffy, are we there yet? My legs are like jelly…" Neptune moaned.

"My feet hurt too…" Compa said sadly.

IF simply groaned. "This again? You girls really need to exercise or something."

"Exercise? Well, I play games, so is pushing buttons exercise?" Neptune joked.

Cameron sighed longingly. "Oh, if only it were Neptune. If only it were."

IF shook her head. "Stop being stupid and try to be more active like Noire."

But when she turned to look at Noire, she wasn't next to her like she thought. Rather, she was actually further ahead, crouched down looking at something. "Hey, everyone. Can you come here for a bit?"

"That's unusual for Noire to be calling for us. I wonder what's up." Neptune commented.

Upon reaching her, IF asked, "Kept you waiting there. What's up?"

Noire pointed at the wall she was looking at. "This on the wall… isn't this the disc you showed me…?"

IF looked concerned. "You've got to be kidding… two in the same location?"

"That would help explain the extreme monster infestation here…" Cameron said grimly.

"So that means there's more around?!" Neptune said in surprise. Everyone thought she was going on about the monsters, but her next sentence was, "Planeptune had one and Lastation has two. That's not fair!"

"That's a good thing Neptune." Cameron sighed, rolling his eyes at Nep's childish complaint.

"No wonder the monsters don't go away…" Compa said worriedly.

"Well, no use leaving this as is." IF said, prying the disc off the wall. "Let's break it."

"Oh, oh, oh! Wait, Iffy!" Neptune interrupted. "If we're going to break it, can I do it?"

When given a questioning look, Neptune bashfully said, "I always wanted to break a disc, but I don't want to do that to my music CDs. But if it's this, then I can have fun breaking it."

"This isn't supposed to be 'fun,' you know." IF said angrily.

"Yeah, but all work and no play makes Nep a dull girl." Nep replied. "So, c'mon, I can have fun breaking it, right?"

IF sighed, closing her eyes. "...sometimes I have to doubt your actions…"

"You should've known what you were getting yourself into when you joined our party IF." Cameron said, rolling his eyes again.

And of course, due to the pointless exposition, the disc in IF's hand suddenly started shining again. "Quit with the talking and just break it! Something may come out again!" Noire yelled.

Too late. Neptune said, "Um, well, there's a face-looking thingy coming out…"

"Why are you so relaxed like that?!" Noire shouted.

"You're… praising me, right?" Nep asked. "Everyone does say I'm a bit soft upstairs."

"No, that wasn't praise Neptune!" Cameron said, voicing Noire's thoughts.

IF was already at the ready with her blades. "Nep, transform! Let's just get rid of the monster and disc!"

"Roger!" Nep said, and in an instant, she was transformed and ready to fight.

"Listen to me, Iffy…" Nep said.

"What's the matter?" IF asked.

"I'll take care of the monsters, so break the disc before more come out." Neptune said, hefting her sword.

"Wait, I thought you said YOU wanted to break it!" IF said, confused and angry.

"The transformation cooled me down a bit. I don't care about it anymore." Nep explained.

"Can you be any more random?!" IF asked angrily.

Compa was simply standing besides Cameron, smiling. "Nep-Nep is so fun, even after she transforms."

"This is just painful to watch…" Noire said, shaking her head.

Thankfully, the monster was charging ahead, ready to fight. The group quickly got prepared for a good fight…

 _Several minutes later…_

 _(Argh! Why do you keep skipping the fights?!)_

 **(Because if I wrote out every single fight in the story, we would never get anywhere. Plus, after a while the fights just kinda start blending together, you know?)**

 _(Whatever… just give us something!)_

 **(Chill out Neptune. I'm already working on it… next chapter.)**

"This is the end!"

With one final strike, Neptune managed to make the whole robot monster blow up, ending the fight. She seemed rather smug about it. "Looks like it was merely a grunt that should've come in numbers."

"Yay, Nep-Nep!" Compa cheered. "You were really cool!"

Neptune called off her transformation, and became regular Nep-Nep again. "Well, nothing that I can't handle, you know?"

"Okay, let's break the disc already." IF said, starting to walk over to the disc.

"WAIT!" Nep called out. "I thought I said that I wanted to break it. No fair!"

"You just told me to break it a while ago." IF said.

"Well, but that's me transformed. Different persona, right?"

"Not this again…"

"So now that I'm my old self again, I want to break the disc!"

Suddenly, a loud snapping noise brought those two back to reality. They looked over to see Noire dropping the snapped disc back on the ground. "I broke it. No way I want to fight more of those again."

Neptune looked upset. "Wh-what's with that look on your face?" Noire asked defensively.

"Wow, Noire. Way to break the disc and the mood there." Neptune said, shaking her head.

"Yeah, that was… not cool." IF agreed.

Noire started sweating. "What?! I'm in the wrong now?! You girls are the ones who were arguing!"

"Well, yeah, but…" IF said.

"Still, that wasn't very cool, Noire. Maybe that's why you don't have any friends." Neptune added.

"I-I have a lot of friends!" Noire said in a not very convincing way. "Okay! I'm S-O-R-R-Y. There. Satisfied?!"

While those two bickered back and forth, Cameron and the other two watched them from a safe distance. "Oh, Iffy, you're so horrible." Compa said, smiling nonetheless.

"Heh, to be honest, I kind of enjoy seeing them argue, so I just went with the flow." IF admitted.

"Wow, that's cold." Cameron joked, watching those two with a shaking head and a smile. "Come on. Let's break them up and get going. The exit is right there!"

A minute or so later, and finally the group managed to get outside. _Finally._

"Yay! We're outside!" Nep said joyfully.

"Being under the warm sun feels so good." Compa said happily, basking in the warm glow.

"Perfect for taking a nap!" Neptune said, looking ready to lie down on the dirt just to nap.

"Yes, it would be nice to relax under the sun." Compa agreed.

IF wasn't listening to them, however. She was thinking to herself.

"What's the matter? You've been quiet." Noire asked curiously.

"I was wondering what Ganache was trying to accomplish." IF said.

"You mean about trapping us in there?" Cameron asked.

"Yeah. Was it really to get rid of us?" IF wondered. "With the Enemy Discs there, maybe there was another motive…"

"Another motive…" Noire said quietly.

'It seems like he knew who I was, so it was probably meant for me… I really have to apologize to everyone later for getting them involved…' she thought to herself.

Neptune didn't seemed to care too much about the motive. "Oh, Iffy, you're such a worrywart. You're thinking too much." she said. "We came out in one piece, so all is good! Let's just go back to Chian."

"Chian…" Cameron said suddenly. "Oh no. Chian!"

"What do you mean?" Compa asked.

"Don't you remember what Ganache said when he trapped us?" he said, his face starting to pale.

~Flashback~

" _I already know you are assisting Chian of Passe. I assume you were trying to get information on our exhibit plans, no?" Ganache said, his voice rich with triumph._

" _I-Iffy! They knew all along!" Neptune said fearfully._

" _I can't believe they knew about this…" IF said softly._

" _We would win, regardless, but I'm the careful type, you know." Ganache said. "Well, I don't have much time, so I need to go now. Farewell."_

~End Flashback~

"He knew we were helping Chian." Cameron said. "That means she has to be the next target!"

"What?!" Noire said, shocked.

"Well then, we need to get back to her, pronto!" Neptune said angrily, getting back to her feet.

Noire was seeting. "What's he thinking, targeting civilians just for the Expo?!" she yelled, furious. "Now I'm really mad! I won't let Ganache or Avenir get away with this!"

"Woah, woah, woah! Now Noire is REALLY mad!" Neptune commented, worried.

"Noire… you're scaring me…" Compa said timidly.

"You girls! Stop with the jibber-jabber! Let's hurry and save Chian!"

"Y-yes…!" Both Neptune and Compa said, rather scared of Noire's fury.

The group quickly rushed towards Lastation's center, hoping that Chian was okay.

What they were to find…

What they were to find.

 **Welp… I think that's a good place to end this chapter.**

 _(Oh, come on! It was just getting good!)_

 **Sorry Neptune. This chapter's been overdue for over a month now. I needed to get something out, and this seemed like a decent place to leave off.**

 _(Awww… okay… but you better include a fight next time!)_

 **Oh, of course I will. But uh… there's something else we need to talk about. Something… important.**

 _*The author leads Neptune away to another room. You can barely hear their voices._

 **So… should we include... 'that'?**

 _(... I… don't know… I mean… it happened, but…)_

 **Well… let's think about it for a few days. Then make a call. Because… you know how hard it is for me to type… 'those'.**

 _(Yeah…)_

 _*Neptune stays in the other room, while the author comes back out._

 **Sorry about that. Had to talk to her for a second.**

 **Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! I know it took a bit longer to get out, but I hope it was worth the wait!**

 **I hopefully shouldn't have many more setbacks like that for a while. We'll have to see, huh?**

 **As always, if you guys have any questions for me, PM me and I'll try to answer them for you. Until next time guys, stay awesome.**


	15. The Fight for Lastation

**Hello all of you awesome readers out there! It's ButterHunter here, back with yet another chapter to my Hyperdimension Neptunia story! When we last left off, the group had just escaped the factory and are now heading back to Lastation to save Chian.**

 **Let's see how that's faring, eh?**

Chapter 15: The Fight for Lastation

It was too late.

When the group arrived back at Lastation, they were horrified to find that most of the city was destroyed.

"The city… it's in ruin…" Compa said softly, looking ready to tear up.

"Woah… this is way too hardcore for me." Neptune said.

If Noire was mad before, it was nothing compared to how she looked now. "Ganache is going to pay for this!" she yelled angrily.

"Not if I get to him first." Cameron said just as angrily.

Suddenly, a familiar voice called out from behind them. "You guys! You're safe!"

The group turned to see none other than Chian running to them, a bit battered and scraped up, but nonetheless still alive.

"Chian! Are you okay?!" Noire asked quickly.

"Yeah, somehow." Chian replied. "Anyway, get out of here! It's way too dangerous!"

"What do you mean 'get out'? What about you?!" Cameron asked.

"I'm going to the Basilicom to ask for Lady Black Heart's help." Chian replied. "The Lady should help us, so you guys get to a safe place."

Noire wasn't having any of it. "Too bad, but we're not going anywhere."

"That's right!" Neptune added. "We have a little agenda to take care of with Ganache."

Before Chian could complain, Noire said, "Don't worry, we'll take care of Avenir and anything in our way!"

The group quickly left Chian behind, following the trail of destruction…

 _A minute later…_

"Hahahaha! Good! Good!" Ganache yelled out. "Killachine! Destroy! Destroy! Destroy! With the performance here, this will sure to sell well with our 'client'. Now, let me add a bit more juice here. Let's see your power, Killachine!"

But his monologue was interrupted when out of nowhere, Noire appeared behind him. "Stop! I won't let you get away with this!"

 _(Oh snap, things are about to go down!)_

"Oh my." Ganache said, doing a quick head count. "1, 2, 3, 4, 5. Well, it looks like you all made it out safe."

"Did you seriously think those monsters would beat us?" Noire asked cockily.

"Oh, of course not. But, they did buy some time, didn't they?" Ganache asked rhetorically. He gestured his arms around at the rubble that used to be buildings. "See? With that time, I was able to demonstrate our new weapon."

"You… fiend…!" Noire said, her voice shaking in rage.

"Fiend?" Ganache said, as if that actually offended him. "Well now, even if that is so, what are you going to do about it? You lost your power to Avenir. You're weak now."

"That's not true!"

"Oh? But you are well aware of your lack of power, aren't you? You were away for too long. If anything, you should blame yourself. Hardly anyone reveres you in Lastation anymore." Ganache said evilly. "Oh, but I do appreciate you. You did make it easy to take over the Land."

"..." Noire stayed quiet.

"Hm?" Ganache noticed that. "Nothing to say against my logic?"

"So… so what…?" Noire mumbled.

"What…?" Ganache looked confused.

"Who cares about power and control?" Noire asked. "If you think I'm here just to mete vengeance, you're dead wrong. I'm here for the people who still believe in me!"

And at that moment, Neptune butted in. "Iffy…? Can I speak now? I really don't like the seriousness right now."

 _(I'm sorry. I just really can't handle these kinds of scenes.)_

"Just be patient and let them finish what they're saying." IF said, sighing.

"Aw, I'm at my limit already. I need to talk to breath, you know?" Neptune said sadly. "And I'm sure the readers don't want to read this wall of text no more…"

"Nep-Nep, if you don't be quiet,you won't get your pudding snack." Compa said.

This had the desired effect. "N-no! I'll do my best to keep my mouth shut!" Neptune said fearfully. And rather loudly.

"I can hear everything!" Noire said angrily, turning around to Nep. "It defeats the purpose if you're making noise on the subject of quiet. And now look at what you've done! Now the mood is all gone!"

"Nep-Nep's pudding scores a double whammy! Gone!" Compa said, stuffing Neptune's would-be snack away.

"Aaah?! M-my pudding!" Neptune shouted. "Nooooooooooooooo!"

 _(Please tell me you didn't count out how many 'o's were in my shout.)_

 **(Nonsense. Why would I have counted out all fifteen 'o's in your shout? *cheeky grin*)**

 _(*sigh*...)_

"We're finally at Chapter 15, and at the climax, so just be QUIET!" Noire yelled out.

Ganache looked done with this conversation. "Are you done speaking with your friends? I'm a busy person, you know."

"Let me save you time then by sending that machine into the junk heap." Noire said, turning back around to face Ganache.

"Nep-Nep! Transform!" Compa shouted.

"Transform!" Nep shouted, and in a flash, there stood Nep transformed. "Ganache, you went way too far. Feel the pain Chian and her people endured!"

Ganache didn't seem to be ready to Neptune transforming. "What?! That form… but why are you here?!"

 _(Because I can, Ganache. Because I can.)_

He turned back to Noire, confused. "You're supposed to be her enemy! Why?!"

"For those who believe in me, I'll do anything for them." Noire said. She looked back at Cameron, who was doing well at staying quiet this whole time. Without even waiting for a question, he nodded firmly.

Noire turned back to Ganache, and prepared herself. "Anything!"

"Haaaaaaah! Access!" she shouted again, and a white light engulfed her. When it subsided, there stood Noire's true form: Lady Black Heart.

"Noire?! That form?!" Neptune said, taken by surprise. Nearly everyone but Cameron and Ganache looked surprised by the change too.

"Details later! First, let's get rid of that contraption!" Black Heart said, drawing her large sword.

As if to punctuate that statement, the large robot, 'Killachine', pulled out a giant mace and prepared to strike. Like it or not, it was battle time.

 _Battle start._

 _(YAY BATTLE FINALLY!)_

The Killachine really did seem to live up to it's name. It looked like a some sort of weird half man half dragon thing, with two long arms holding a mace, a large head, all attached to a long, almost dragon-like tail. Also, it was floating in the air, so that made it look all the more intimidating.

It got first strike, and when it smacked Cameron, Neptune, and Compa, it hit HARD. Over 1000 HP was quickly lost in just one hit. Neptune still had lots left over, but Cameron and Compa were dropped to almost half.

"Argh!" Cameron groaned, dropping to a knee before standing up again. "Grrr… not today!"

He quickly used his arm cannon to use Echo Reflector. From where he was standing, everyone got the buff, which was a relief.

Neptune moved ahead and started hacking away. But even though she was doing damage, the blows just seemed to scrape the robot.

Black Heart had a different approach. She backed up, as her surroundings became dark. The words 'Lace Ribbons' appeared above her, just before she charged.

She backflipped, kicking the robot up, then did it again, before launching herself down. Lace ribbons she somehow managed to attach to the robot were pulled, causing it to crash down to the dirt.

It did a fair amount of damage, though the robot still had quite a lot of HP left. It swung again, this time at Black Heart, but then, Echo Reflector worked. The damage rebounded back, and now Killachine was at 3/4th HP.

After Compa healed him, Cameron went again. "Let's see if it likes this." he said, backing up. 'Gunner Missile' appeared before him, and this time, he had a plan.

Running full speed, he managed to run to the machine's 'tail', and start running up it. He fired while running up, five times with the small homing ones, before reaching the top, where the head was. Pointing straight down, he fired the last super missile, right at the bot's head.

He jumped off just as the super missile connected, creating an almost action movie like scene, with Cameron managing to land opposite to where he started off at.

Even though that was impressive, the Killachine wasn't anywhere close to being done. In fact, now it had a new target.

It swung it's mace right at Cameron, who couldn't react in time. The large weapon sent the guy backwards, and crashing into a wall. Again.

He collapsed on the ground, looking lifeless, but amazingly, he slowly managed to look up. He somehow had survived the mortal blow with 1 HP left.

 **(Yep. I know that reference. You're welcome.)**

Shakily, he somehow managed to stand, but was leaning very heavily on the wall, panting and gasping. He tried to walk back over, but fell to his knees, panting heavily, coughing up blood, while blood slowly soaked into the back of his shirt from a gash that was there.

 _(Cameron always seems to get into these situations, huh?)_

If Neptune was angry about the robot destroying the town, it paled in comparison to the rage now taking over her mind and body.

Unfortunately, Compa wouldn't be able to make it over in her next turn, due to where the robot was. She simply yelled out, "Cameron! I can't make it over! Quick, heal yourself as best as you can!"

Neptune's fury was too big to stay contained, and she let the robot know it. Roaring like a feral animal, she charged Killachine, slashing with all she had. It caught the attention of everyone there, leaving Cameron alone, barely alive.

As quickly as he could, while Nep attacked, he tried to grab a health pack from his bag. But his shaky arms grabbed something else instead.

Something flat, and hard.

For a second, he thought he had grabbed the Key Fragment, and almost let go. But then his frayed mind remembered: the Fragment was round.

He pulled out the object to find…

A slice of pie. A warm, fresh pie wedge, on a clean, white plate.

'What…? W-when… when did… I get… a pie?' he thought to himself.

He couldn't remember having any pie at all since his adventure started. The only desert he could remember eating was pudding.

 _(Do you really need any other? Pudding is love, pudding is life!)_

He almost put it on the ground to look for a health pack, but stopped. He looked back at the pie. 'Y'know… it looks… pretty good…' he thought.

Slowly, he ate a piece of it. Then another. And another. It was _soooo_ good!

It tasted like butterscotch, with a hint of cinnamon. Cameron felt content eating the pie, as if remembering a simpler time.

Time seemed to pass slowly, but once he pulled out the pie, five whole minutes had passed. Before he even realized it, the pie wedge was gone. But he was feeling really good at this point. That pie had washed away all of his fatigue, and made him feel… happy.

He tucked the plate away into his bag, and started to look in it again for that health pack.

Until he realized something.

He… didn't feel any pain. No pain, no weakness, just… energy. Somehow…

His HP was maxed out by the pie.

'What? How?' he thought to himself. 'How did a pie…'

"Cameron! Look out!" a voice shouted.

He looked up just in time to see a very battered and slashed up, but still functioning, Killachine bearing down at him, starting a downward thrust. He jumped out of the way just as the colossal mace nearly took his head. But as the robot pried the mace out of the ground…

It somehow snagged Cameron's bag, which was still in his hands. And before he fully realized what was going on, he was already thirty feet in the air.

"SHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIT!" he yelled, hanging on his bag for dear life. "Neptune! Compa! Noire! DO SOMETHING!"

Then Killachine noticed the human just barely hanging on it's weapon. Quickly, it's metal fist reached over and plucked the human off, shaking the bag away.

Neptune charged, but by then it was too late.

The robot dropped Cameron into its other hand…

And quickly crushed him into a fist.

Neptune stopped dead. "N… n-no… n-n-no…!"

Everything was quiet.

Then…

The sound of ripping steel rang out.

And the closed fist of Killachine suddenly fell apart, as Cameron chopped off the last of it's metal fingers with his sword.

"Not happening today." he said, his eyes… were they glowing red?

He ran down the robot's arm…

And before it could react, he thrust his sword into the top of Killachine head with all of his might.

The mighty robot finally couldn't take it anymore. It felt down to the ground, slowly whirring off as the last of it's internal machines malfunctioned. Cameron simply hopped down and walked away, pushing the hair out of his eyes.

 _(If only it had exploded. Then you could've been a really cool guy!)_

Neptune ran over and tackled the guy into a hug, so glad that he was okay. "C-Cameron! I… I thought you were…"

"Argh!" Cameron suddenly shouted. Neptune's arms were pushing into back, which was all scratched up and cut from crashing into a wall. "Neptune! Your arms!"

Neptune quickly let him go. "Sorry! I forgot about that…"

"It's… it's fine." Cameron quickly said, pulling himself together. "Hope that won't need stitches…"

The two quickly converged with the other three, who had taken refuge close by to heal back up.

Noire, Black Heart, looked smug. "Even if it was a hard battle, with the two of us, the fight was a bit easier." she said, before looking around. "Hm? Where's Ganache?"

"Seems like he got away." Neptune said.

"Well, no matter. He'll get what he deserves the next time!" Black Heart said angrily.

Neptune decided that now would be a good time to change topics. "Speaking of, Noire. That form of yours…"

"You look just like Nep-Nep transformed." Compa finished for her.

"You mean this form?" Black Heart asked. "Well, of course. I'm the CPU of Lastation."

Neptune looked beyond surprised at this revelation. "What…?!"

"I had my reasons, but first off, I'm sorry for hiding myself." Black Heart apologized. "That said, thanks for the help. I couldn't have won without your help."

Nep was still trying to get over Noire being Black Heart. "I didn't expect Noire to be Lastation's CPU…"

"I'm just as surprised as when Nep-Nep transformed." Compa mused.

"Not me… I knew all along." IF said bluntly.

"N-no way…!" Black Heart said quietly.

"Seriously… was that your best, hiding your identity?" IF asked honestly.

"Great! All this hiding my identity was for nothing, then!" Black Heart complained to herself.

"To be fair though, it wasn't like you could hide it forever, Noire." Cameron said, albeit a tad quieter than normal.

Neptune, however, suddenly realized something. "That's right! You know who I am, right? Can you please tell me?"

"Hmmm…" Black Heart said, purposely teasing Nep. "What to do…?"

"Come now! I'm serious here!" Neptune said forcefully.

"Well, it's not much of a secret, so you might as well say it." IF told Black Heart.

"Iffy? You know who Nep-Nep is?" Compa asked.

"Yep, once I saw Noire transform." IF said smugly.

"I realized it even before that, back at the factory." Cameron said quickly.

"Huh?" Compa wondered, before the pieces seemed to slam together in her mind. "That means… you can't mean…? Wait? Really…? Nep-Nep is…?!"

"Huh? Now Compa knows? Really? Compa?! Oh come on, just say it already!" Neptune said, getting unhappy that everyone was being so secretive about who Nep was.

Black Heart sighed. "All right." she said, before breathing deeply…

…

And then said, "Neptune, you're the CPU of Planeptune. You're Purple Heart."

It was a solid five seconds before Neptune could even say anything. When she could, all that came out was, "...seriously?"

 _(What would you have said, huh?)_

"Nep-Nep's in shock of her own self." Compa said.

"Iffy… what should I do? Me? A CPU? Planeptune? Really?" Nep asked slowly, still in some form of shock.

"Why don't you change back first?" IF suggested calmly.

Neptune seemed to agree. "O-okay. I can't show my variety of expressions in this form anyway."

"Not like we're going to list out your entire repertoire of expressions…" IF said with a small sigh.

And just like that, there was regular Neptune, with… a worried expression? "Uh, but really, is me… being me, okay with everyone?" she asked, still not over what she really is.

"Who would've expected you to be the CPU of Planeptune?" IF mused.

"What is going on though? All I did was see Nep-Nep fall from the… the sky!" Compa asked, still confused.

"Did you finally notice? Everything around Nep isn't humanly possible." IF explained.

"For the record, falling from the sky is not normal even for a goddess…" Black Heart said slowly.

Cameron was rather quiet. No one but him seemed to remember one important detail.

That HE also fell from the sky. And he knew that he was a regular human being. So… how did THAT happen, and how was he still okay?

 _(...what are you planning here, author?)_

 **(Oh, you'll see. You'll see… *slightly evil laugh*)**

 _(Oh boy…)_

He decided to talk about that was the others later. Right now, Neptune being a goddess was the main plot point. There was no point in just adding another to the pile.

Neptune was looking as Black Heart with an almost desperate look. "Um, just to make sure. Are you SURE I'm okay as CPU of Planeptune?"

"Not, "I'm okay," you ARE the CPU of Planeptune." Black Heart restated firmly. "But if you're worried about hostility, don't worry. We won't fight now. I need to first rebuild Lastation."

Just then, Cameron realized his bag wasn't on him, it was hanging on a nearby bent piece of metal. He ran over and grabbed it, opening it to make sure nothing important fell out of it. Thankfully, it was still in good condition despite everything.

'Nothing fell out, that's good at least…' he thought to himself, before he did remember something missing.

The plate. The plate that mysterious pie was on. It was gone.

Cameron looked out around the near vicinity, but no sign of the plate. Not even a hint of it was anywhere.

'Wha-... where did it go…?' he thought, confused. 'How did it simply…'

But then IF came over to him. "Hey. Are you okay? You look confused about something."

Before Cameron could even think of some sort of response to the question, from out of nowhere Johnathan Haywood runs in front of the two, pistols already cocked and ready to fire.

He took in the scene of the broken robot, and the destroyed buildings around him. "What… what did I miss?"

Cameron sighed, causing Haywood to turn. "We already dealt with the problem, Johnathan."

He then looked over to where the others were standing, who just now noticed his presence. He immediately became aware of one person in particular.

"L-L-Lady Black Heart?!" he called out, disbelieving his own eyes.

Cameron sighed again. 'Welp… we have a lot of explaining to do.'

 _Some time later, back at the hotel…_

"Ow ow ow ow OW!"

Cameron was screaming in pain, because Compa was treating his wounds. The medicine she used stung like hell on Cameron's back. To Cameron, it felt like Compa had lit a fire on his back. The gash on his back didn't need stitches, which was a relief, but still, dressing it was very unpleasant.

It took twenty whole minutes to treat and cover the wound, which was twenty minutes too long in Cameron's book, but what could he do?

Finally, Compa told him, "Okay, can you stand and walk normally?"

Cameron gingerly did as he was asked, and replied that while he could, he thought he should stay away from fighting for now.

"Definitely. Now come on, the others are still talking." Compa said, gently wrapping an arm around Cameron's torso.

When the two came back to the main, everyone was still talking about a bit of everything. Johnathan was there, as was everyone else. Thankfully, the hotel was in a surprisingly good state, as were several residental buildings, which was lucky.

 _(Ever noticed that? How EVERYWHERE else can be destroyed, but the ONE building the heroes need is still standing? Plot convince FTW.)_

Anyway, Cameron and Compa sat down and simply listened, trying to get into the conversation.

Apparently, Haywood had realized that he was tricked by Avenir, and would've been with the group to fight Killachine a lot sooner, but at some point he must've taken a wrong turn. He realized his mistake when he found himself partly in a dungeon, about to be swarmed by monsters.

"I knew I should've taken that left turn onto Albuquerque Road." Haywood said, looking at a map on his phone.

 **(Childhood reference pun brings back childhood, no?)**

"Ah well, you can't change the past." Cameron said, leaning back comfortably into his chair.

"Anyway, Noire." IF said, turning to Noire. "Now that things are calmed down a bit, don't you need to show your identity to Chian?"

"Now is still not the time." Noire said, looking at her hands. "Honestly, showing myself now would just make matters worse. So I'll first get back in shape before showing my identity."

"Do you have a plan?" Compa asked.

"Plan? No." Noire admitted. "I'm just going to do my best to help everyone living here."

"Now that's the CPU Lady Black Heart I know and respect." IF said.

"Same here." Johnathan jumped in, still a bit surprised about Noire being the goddess.

"Cut the honorifics. Just call me Noire. I like that better anyways." Noire said to the two.

"It will probably take some getting used to, but okay, Noire!" Compa replied happily.

"Of course, compared to Noire, looking towards Nep…" IF said, sighing as she pointed.

Neptune was passed out on the couch, snoring loudly. No one could really blame her though, as she almost single handedly took out the Killachine once Cameron nearly died.

"She's sound asleep." Compa said, poking Nep's shoulder gently. "She must be really tired."

Just then, a knock was heard on the door, and in stepped Chian. "Coming through." she said.

'We might have to start locking our door soon…' Cameron thought, nevertheless greeting Chian.

"Chian, is the factory okay now?" Compa asked hopefully.

"Thanks to you, we've got a lot cleaned up. The rest is for tomorrow." she said, wiping her brow.

"So, how is the factory, really?" Noire asked.

"Most of it is in unworkable condition." Chian admitted. "Nothing we can really do about that."

"Is that so…" Noire said quietly.

Just then, Nep opened her eyes slowly. "*sno...re* ...huh? Chian? Since when?"

"I just arrived. Sorry to wake you up, Sleeping Beauty." Chian said.

"Anyway, what are you going to do now?" Cameron asked.

"With the Expo just around the corner, I need the factory to be running first." Chian said.

"So that means we won't have work for a while then." IF summed up.

"Sorry 'bout that." Chian apologized.

"Oh, it's fine. We can live with it." Cameron said.

"Well, let's head back to Planeptune then." IF suggested.

"Yes. With no leads on the Key Fragment, I guess there isn't much choice, huh?" Compa deduced.

Neptune stood up and handed Chian her improved sword back. "Here's the weapon back, Chian." she added.

"Thanks. When the Expo is near, come back. I'll ask you for more tests then." Chian told the group.

"Sounds good." Cameron replied. "Can't way to see the new factory!"

"Heh, you can count on that." Chian replied with a grin. "I'll get everything back up to full operation."

 _A few hours later…_

"Huh? Nowa isn't coming with us?" Neptune asked.

The group, minus Haywood, who had once again left, this time to help fix the city, were about to leave Lastation for now. But Neptune had noticed that Noire wasn't following them anymore once they were just about to leave the city via the Sky Harbor.

"Don't call me Nowa! It's Noire!" Noire complained.

"Oh come on. You can call me Neppy if you'd like." Neptune replied, smiling happily.

"No I won't! Wait… why would I?!" Noire said again, before recomposing herself and saying more calmly. "You were asleep back there, so you may not know, but… I need to take care of things here first."

"Awww… and just when I thought we were going to be best buddies…" Neptune said, sounding disappointed.

Compa came behind Neptune and put a hand on her shoulder. "Now now Nep-Nep. Let's not bother Noire. We have to find the Key Fragment in Lastation, so we can come back."

"True." Cameron said, shouldering his bag. "We'll be back, no doubt about it."

"I'll be sure to greet you with open arms then." Noire said warmly. "Oh, and Neptune? Don't go around saying you're a CPU, you hear? I'm not sure about the other Lands, but each has their own problems."

"That's right. If they find out, no telling what could come our way." IF added.

"Oh relax you guys. I'm not that dumb, y'know?" Neptune said. "I just have to reveal my identity before the last scene, right?"

"Just like in theatre! Oh, and I want to come out at the encore call!" Compa said excitedly.

"Oooh! Good, good, Compa! And Iffy can pull curtains backstage!" Neptune said.

While those two continued to talk about theatre, IF, Cameron, and Noire watched. Noire leaned in and half-whispered, "IF…? Cameron…? Are you two sure you'll be fine…?"

"I'm fine…" IF started. "... or maybe not. I'm already getting a headache…"

"I think we can manage." Cameron said, still watching those two continue about set production or something like that. "Granted, it might drive us to the brink of insanity, but I think we can manage."

 _Noire has left the party._

…

 _Several days later…_

"Whew! This place really is 'home'." Neptune said, flopping over into a beanbag chair.

She and Cameron were just getting out of another session in one of Compa's games: 'Cave Game', where they were in a 3D blocky world and had to survive with what the world gave them.

"I can't believe that we managed to find all those ores to make sapphire tools so early." Cameron said, looking at his armored character. "Those are the strongest next to platinum."

"Definetly better then when we were using cow-skin armor." Neptune agreed. "That couldn't even take a single hit from the Sneakers. Oh, they blew me up one too many times…" she replied, thinking about how those strange, green creatures would run up and explode behind her early on.

 **(Oh, the puniness is so real.)**

While I was trying to keep coming up with the names of the tools and enemies in their game, Neptune was leaning back into her beanbag, saying happily, "But really, I'm not joking about this being 'home.' I mean, the bed is comfy, there's games all over, and pudding's stocked in the fridge!"

"Great way to greet the readers out of that transition." IF commented from her seat at the couch. "Slacking off and all…"

"Oh, you're so serious Iffy. We did a lot over at Lastation, so give me a break!" Neptune said indignantly.

"Give you a break?" IF asked. "Well, maybe if the break wasn't over a week already…"

"Ah, come on IF." Cameron spoke up. "Don't be a downer. We did things, right?"

He wasn't lying. During the week between when they left Lastation and now, they had done a few more quests for the Guild, as well as simply grind for a bit. Better now than never. Each person present had at least 23 levels by this point.

Neptune also seemed to take his point of view. "C'mon, now's my only chance to cozy with the puddings, you dig? Who's gonna kick back now?"

"It's me, yo!" Neptune said loudly to the readers.

IF sighed again. "Really? She's the CPU of Planeptune?"

Just then, Compa came over, with, what else, more pudding. "Nep-Nep. I made some tasty-tasty milk pudding." she said, holding it out for Neptune like she was a goddess.

Well, she is, but, you get the point.

"Yay! Pudding! Milk pudding! Milky-milk pudding!" Neptune sang, lovingly digging into her new pudding snack. Can you still call it a snack if you eat it, like, every other second?

 _(I take offense to that, you know! I don't eat it nearly *that* much!)_

 **(-_-)**

 _(Err… not that much?)_

 **(-_-)**

 _(Okay… a little less than that much?)_

 **(You're eating as we speak, Neptune.)**

 _(*sigh* I can't win with you, can I?)_

While Nep dug into her milky treat, IF started to chastise Compa. "Compa, you really have to stop treating Nep like a queen.

"I know…" Compa said gently. "But seeing Nep-Nep's face melt away with my pudding is just so cute!"

"Compa! This pudding is the bomb! Can I get some more of these morsels?!" Neptune asked, having somehow already finished the pudding Compa just gave her.

"I'm happy you like them, Nep-Nep. More coming right up!" Compa replied happily, disappearing into her kitchen.

IF watched all of this with a sigh, seemingly giving up on trying to understand them. Again. "These two… well, I guess it's better than being in peril now." she mused.

And right when she said that, something blew up.

"Damn it! Not another one!" Cameron yelled, picking up his controller again, having just survived another Sneaker explosion. "That's what I get for forgetting to pause outside…"

IF waited for the count of five before returning to her muse. "Right… I guess enjoying the moment isn't bad. Well, I better get started…"

She leaned back fully into her chair and started messing around with one of her phones. Cameron noticed that she kept using the pink one, even though she had, like, twenty others on her belt. Exaggeration? Maybe. Perhaps that pink one was her favorite or something.

He wasn't focused on her, though Neptune was. She placed down her bowl and leaned over IF saying, "Iffy, whatcha doing? Single player checkers? Single player rummy?"

"Owch." Cameron said, not glancing over.

"Oh, shut it." IF rebated. No, I was just checking the Goddess' blog."

"Huh? The goddesses are bloggers? Even Noire?" Neptune asked, surprised.

"No, only the CPU for Leanbox, Lady Green Heart, has a blog." IF explained.

"Shucks. If Noire had one, I was gonna tease her over her entries." Neptune said, looking slightly disappointed.

"That's… um…" Cameron said, still not looking from his game.

"Wow, that's low…" IF finished for him.

"Anyways, what kind of stuff does she have up there?" Neptune asked. "Like some pic shot of her licking pizza, or a self-made fantasy poem?"

"You really think a goddess would post random junk like that?" IF asked bluntly.

 **(I dunno, it sounds like Tumblr to me, so…)**

"Let me see there…" Neptune said, reading one of the entries on IF's phone. "'Monsters have been appearing as of recent. Please be wary…'"

"See? Lady Green Heart isn't a goofer like you. Now give me back my cell." IF said.

"Oh, wait, Iffy!" Neptune suddenly said. "There's a hidden link here."

"What idiotic nonsense are you saying now…?" IF said, before looking at the cell. "Wait… you're right."

"I doubt whatever it leads to is as interesting as this game." Cameron said, still looking at the TV.

"Let's see what's there. *click*" Neptune said, for some reason pronouncing her click when she touched the screen.

"Wait a minute, Nep!" IF yelled.

"'Welcome to my hidden page. I will be posting my private diary here.'" Neptune read off.

Once Cameron heard those words, he instantly paused his game and turned around to face Neptune. "And now, you have my full attention."

"L-Lady Green Heart's diary?! Y-you shouldn't read others' diaries!" IF said, starting to sweat. But not out of fear of Neptune reading the hidden page.

"Oh yeah, sure. I bet Iffy is going to check it out yourself, right?" Neptune teased.

She had hit the mark, as IF began to sweat profusely, and her cheeks flushed quite a fair bit. "M-me? Look at L-L-Lady Green H-H-Heart's private life? N-n-no!"

"Quite convincing." Cameron said bluntly.

"Way to look calm there Iffy…" Neptune said, shaking her head.

I-I-I-I would n-n-never do su-such a th-th-thing!" IF tried to continue her failing argument.

"C'mon. Let's just read it out loud!" Neptune said.

"Read it, read it, read it, read it!" Cameron chanted, giving Neptune all the encouragement she needed to hear.

"Let's see now…" Neptune said, starting to read. "'I bought 6 new games. My backlog is getting too big…'"

"Huh?" IF said, surprised.

"I can relate to that." Cameron said, nodding thoughtfully.

"'I can't wait to get my [Tsundere Otaku Eyeglasses Set].'" Neptune read. "Hey, that's the limited edition released by the Otomate branded company."

"..." IF was quiet.

"Let's see…" Nep kept going. "'Can't play 4 Goddesses Online with the server error, ;('"

"So wait, Lady Green Heart is a gamer?" Cameron deduced. "What's 4 Goddesses Online?"

IF looked crushed. "M-my image of Lady Green Heart… It's… crumbling…" she said softly.

"Oh, did the difference between image and reality shock you, Iffy?" Neptune asked.

Then, IF snapped her fingers, and looked confident again. "I know! Basilicom must have made this to give her a more natural image. My Lady Green Heart would never be this much of a gamer!"

"Well, coming from gamers like me and Neptune…" Cameron started.

"...she smells like a full-blast gamer!" Neptune finished.

"No!" IF denied. "She's just trying to appeal to the public!"

Then, Neptune got an idea. "Oh, so you want to bet and see by meeting her face-to-face?!"

"Sure." IF said calmly. "If you're wrong, I'm taking away one whole week's worth of your pudding."

Cameron stared at IF. "Suddenly, I find this bet to be both exciting, and terrifying.

"Oh, it's on!" Neptune said quickly (earning even bigger stares from Cameron). "Iffy, you'd better be ready to bring my prize on a silver platter!"

While those two shook hands on it, Compa watched this whole exchange from the sidelines. "This isn't the reason I expected we would go to Leanbox for…"

"Well, unless you two want to find the goddess in the dark, we'd better wait until tomorrow." Cameron said, looking out the window. Indeed, the sun was setting in the distance, just about to turn dark.

Both girls nodded, until one of IF's many phones rang. She picked it up and quickly had a short conversation with whoever was on the other line.

"Are you serious?" IF said, not looking happy. "I'm busy… yes, I know… yeah… fine, I'll take care of it."

She hung up and said, "Sorry, that was the Guild. They apparently need me to do something, and it can't just be ignored."

"What could they possibly want from you at seven o'clock in the evening?" Cameron asked, to which IF shrugged.

"I don't know, they didn't spell it out fully. But for now, I have to go. I should be back… tomorrow, at latest." IF said.

Soon enough, IF had her things packed up, and was about to head out. She gave Cameron one of her phones, though, in case they needed to give her a ring really fast.

"Don't work too hard, you hear?" Cameron said, walking her out. He tried to walk her to her destination too, but IF had said she would be fine.

"I know, I know." IF said, stopping once they reached the main road. "I'll be back soon. If I'm not back by ten, I'll see you tomorrow."

Cameron nodded, and gave her one more hug. "See you soon."

"See you later." IF said, starting to walk away. But just as Cameron turned around, IF suddenly called out to him.

"Hey, Cameron!" she yelled. Cameron turned around just in time to catch IF running to him. "I'll miss you."

"Aww, IF, it's only a night. You don't have to worry about me. I'll be fine. The real question is will Nep let me stay sane or not." Cameron said jokingly.

 _(Again: I take offense to that.)_

"Heh heh, right." IF said, pulling away a small bit. "I'll… I'll see you later."

With that said, she gently gave him a short, but nice, kiss, before pulling away fully and walking down the path.

Cameron only smiled like an idiot, waved until IF was out of sight, then slowly headed back to Compa's place.

When he opened the door to the place, he called out, "Well, IF just left."

Compa came over from the kitchen, looking a tad concerned. "Cameron, are you sure…"

"Oh, don't be worried Compa. IF isn't going away forever, just a night. Besides, she strong. She can do whatever the guild needs her to do." Cameron assured.

His words must have had a calming effect on Compa, because her shoulders gently lost tension. "Alright, if you say so."

"I know so. Now, what should we-" Cameron started, before suddenly, Compa's home phone began to ring. Confused, Compa went over and answered it.

"Hello? Oh, instructor! Hello! It's been a while, huh?" Compa said, her demeanor changing once she knew who it was. "Mm-hm! Yessy! Really?"

Cameron decided that was his cue to leave, so he turned to find Neptune. But just before he left…

"What? What do you mean?" Compa said. "... Of course I did! I'm positive!"

Cameron turned back around and started to ask, "What is-"

Compa held up a finger. "I-I know. Tonight? But… I can't… *sigh*, yessy, I understand. I'll be there soon."

Compa hung up and looked sadly at Cameron. "Bad news. Something just came up for me. I have to go back to nursing school tonight."

"Huh?" Cameron said, confused. "What's going on?"

"Apparently they need some help with organizing the medical supplies. I said I couldn't, but apparently there are no others out there to help. So… I have to help now. I hopefully won't be long, but I don't know…"

Cameron was silent for the longest time, before saying, "What are the odds of both you and IF leaving on the same night, huh?"

Compa giggled a bit. "I know. But, I guess I better grab my things."

Five minutes later, Compa had her purse ready to go, her syringe tucked away into who-knows-where. Cameron once again walked them to the road. He again offered to walk with her to the destination, but Compa politely refused.

"It's not that far away. I can handle myself." she said, once they were at the main road.

"Wish I could say the same about me handling Neptune." Cameron sighed. "This might be a long night for me…"

"Oh, I'm sure you'll be fine." Compa said, gently kissing his cheek. "See you later."

"See ya." Cameron said, watching her as she walked to where the school was.

Cameron walked back to Compa's place and sat down on the couch, relaxing. Neptune came in, and noticed the lack of Compa. "What's happening? Where's Compa?"

"Oh, she got a call from her nursing school and had to take care of it. She might have to stay the night over there or something, but she said not to worry." Cameron said, looking for his game controller.

"So… it's just us?" Neptune asked.

"Yep. For a whole night, most likely." Cameron said, finding his controller.

"Huh. That's… new." Neptune said. "But whatever, I guess! What do you want to do first?"

In response, Cameron looked over at Neptune, and grinned a bit, as an idea crossed his mind. "Well… I have some ideas…"

Neptune grinned mischievously back at him. "I'm ALL ears."

 _A few minutes later…_

"Ohhh boy… this is it!" Cameron said, sweating.

"I know… I'm so nervous… but excited!" Neptune replied, sweating a bit as well.

"I'm so close… but I can't give up…" Cameron said, his voice a strained whisper.

"Wait, you're close? You lasted WAY longer before!" Neptune said, surprised.

"I know, but… you caught me by surprise. I didn't think you would use that technique." Cameron said.

"Oh believe me, there's way, WAY more in store for you!" Neptune said, thrusting forward. "Have some of that!

"Ahhh! What… what was that?!" Cameron yelled.

"My special!" Neptune exclaimed proudly. "You'd understand it if you could move like I do."

"Grr… have some of this!" Cameron said, thrusting forward.

"Faaaah! N-Ne-Nepu! H-how?!" Neptune exclaimed, her breathing becoming ragged. "H-how'd you find that spot?!"

"I know a few tricks myself." Cameron said, grinning mischievously. "You're done for!"

"N-no! I-I will last!" Neptune said, her voice shaking.

"You're voice is giving you away, Nep." Cameron said. "Time to end this!"

"N-nooooo!" Nep yelled.

And then the voice yelled out. "GAME!"

"Haha! Yes! I won!" Cameron exclaimed, dropping his controller and punching the air. He had won this game of Crash Bros., somehow. Neptune certainly didn't make it easy.

"No way!" Neptune said, disbelieving her eyes. "How'd you pull through like that?"

"I know my way around." Cameron said. "Your technique of hit-and-run could only work for so long, after all."

"Dang it… I knew I should've chosen a long range fighter…" Neptune said. "If I had, I was sure I would've won."

"Ah well, I was close to losing, you know." Cameron said. "You really did have a good advantage for a while there."

"I still can't believe I lost…" Neptune replied.

"Ah, come on, it's all in good fun." Cameron said, putting an arm around Neptune. "Beside, that's what we wanted to do anyway, right? Troll the hell out of the readers?"

Neptune snickered a bit. "Yeah, true."

 _(I love this scene. It's too perfect!)_

 **(Victory jig?)**

 _(Hell yeah!)_

 **(One hour of jiggin' later…)**

 **(Okay, back to story!)**

Neptune relaxed comfortably in this light embrace, finally cooling off from the match. "Cameron…" she said.

"Mm?"

"I… thank you… for being here with me." Nep said, looking directly into his eyes. "I mean, you're so… fun, to be around."

"Aww… that's kind of you, Neptune." Cameron said, squeezing the smaller girl in his one-armed hug.

The two slowly relaxed further into each other's arms. Eventually, they're eyes connected again and they kissed slowly, softly.

Then, Neptune wanted to take things up a notch.

So, wrapping both of her arms around Cameron tightly, she gently and slowly opened her lips up.

Cameron was surprised, but allowed this to keep going, wanted to see how far Neptune would actually go.

Once it was possible to, Neptune gently but firmly pushed her tongue forward, exploring this new space.

Cameron and Neptune were, obviously, both blushing hard, but neither of them showed any signs of stopping. If anything, they wanted to stay like this. Just gently kissing each other, passionately.

Eventually, after a few minutes, they both pulled away, gasping for breath. The two simply stared at each other lovingly while they caught their breath.

"Neptune… I… I love you." Cameron said softly, cupping Neptune's cheeks gently.

"I… I love you too…" Neptune said, pulling him as close as she possibly could.

The two continued to hug each other tightly, kissing warmly under the glow of the TV.

Neptune's hands gently ran down Cameron's sides while they kissed, and stopped at his waist line. Honestly, she didn't even know what her hands were doing at that point. She was completely focused on kissing Cameron's face off.

Without even realizing it, her hands gently found their way under his shirt, getting a feel of his abs. Unfortunately for her, Cameron felt that.

He pulled away suddenly, saying, "Neptune?"

Neptune looked confused, until she looked down to see her hands in his shirt. Faster than light, she pulled them out and apologized profusely. "I-I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean that! Well, I kinda did, but I didn't fully want to! I…!"

"Woah, woah, woah! Calm down Neptune!" Cameron said, shaking Nep by the shoulders.

Slowly, she did calm down. "I… I'm sorry. I overreacted, but…"

"I know, I know." Cameron said. "But in all honesty, Neptune, we've seen much worse happen, haven't we? Like, when you and Compa had to patch me up."

"That was different…" Neptune said, blush covering most of her face. "This felt like… I wanted to, but I didn't… it gave me an odd sense of… excitement, and embarrassment."

Cameron paused. Surely this story wasn't going where he thought it was…

Right?

 _(Wrong.)_

The two stayed quiet for some time, during which they tried to gather their thoughts about what just happened.

Eventually, however, Cameron simply ruffled Nep's hair and started to stand. "Well… I'm tired. I think it's time we hit the hay, what do you say?"

"Y-yeah… me too…" Neptune said, her voice holding an… odd sort of disappointment that neither present could explain.

Anyway, while Cameron brushed his teeth and stuff in the bathroom, Neptune was still thinking to herself in the kitchen. She already had a pudding out, and was slowly munching on it while she thought.

'Did… did I really do that?' she asked herself. 'But… we barely know each other. How could I feel that strongly for him?'

She listened to the gentle sound of water falling in the distance, signifying where Cameron was. 'But… he… didn't resist. He only asked me what I was doing. He didn't try to pull away or anything… does… does he feel the same?'

Something changed inside Neptune. Suddenly, she didn't feel very tired, even though it was really late. No…

She felt… what? She didn't know WHAT it was. It felt like a heat in her chest, growing stronger the longer she thought about Cameron.

Not to mention… somewhere else.

'N-no… that… that can't be…' Nep thought in surprise, as something clicked in her mind. 'I… I'm… I'm just being stupid! Cameron would NEVER want to do something like that! Right?!'

She had started strong in her mind, but once she finished, she repeated weakly, "R-right…?"

"Right what?" Cameron asked, coming from nowhere.

"Ah! Cameron! I uh… I was just wondering if… this pudding was milk or vanilla! Yeah, that's right! That's all! I'm gonna go change now!" she shouted, completely red in the face, running out of the kitchen.

Cameron watched all of this with blinking eyes. "Ohhhh… kaaaaaay? What was that about?" he asked himself.

He noticed Neptune hadn't taken her pudding with her, so he started to put it away. But something was bothering him.

When he was in that bathroom, he couldn't help but feel… strange himself. He couldn't really describe it well, but… it was like he wanted to stay around Neptune, but also didn't want to stay around for too long.

'I know that doesn't make sense, but…' he thought, putting the pudding away. 'It's what I felt… and it all revolves around Neptune…'

He thought back to when Neptune started feeling under his shirt. For a moment, he was about to pull her hands out of there and yell, "What the hell?!"

But he didn't. Why? Because…

It felt… strange, but… exciting. Like getting an adrenaline rush.

He only asked Nep what she was doing because… well, what else COULD he have asked?

While he was lost in his thoughts, Neptune came back, wearing her typical PJ's. The two looked at each other, and a sort of silent understanding came between them: they would talk about this tomorrow.

They climbed into bed, still not really saying much. They shared one more brief kiss before rolling onto their backs and trying to fall asleep.

But soon…

Something would happen.

Something… dare we say it…

Godly.

…

 **Well then.**

 **Okay, first, PLEASEDON'TKILLMEOHGOD.**

 **I really did mean to get a lemon in this chapter! I did! But then… one thing lead to another, and before I could comprehend it, I was well over 7500 words.**

 **The lemon/lime thing will, I repeat, WILL come out next chapter. I promise.**

 ***sigh*... man, now I almost regret trolling you guys eariler in the chapter.**

 **Almost…**

 _(But not quite! *giggle*)_

 **Heh. Right Nep. Well, anyway, I guess that's all I really had to sa-**

(Hold on!)

 _(Wait a minute… Noire? What are you doing here?)_

 **And why is your text underlined?**

(Well, you two already took bold and italics, so this was the next best thing. Lucky…)

 **Cut to the point Noire. This chapter is already long enough as is.**

(*sticks tongue out at author* Hey, I came here for a reason, you know! What, you think I came here because I _wanted_ to?)

 _(Well…)_

 **Eh…**

(Wow. Anyway… I think you forgot something, author.)

 **Huh…?**

(You promised something to another person a while ago?)

 **I promised something to… oh yeah!**

 **So, I have something I have to say really fast. There is one absolutely awesome author that has been really, really helpful to me with this story. The author is F14M3RZ, and he has been a HUGE help for me while I write this story.**

 **Plus, he has his own stories, about Undertale and Mairo. (They are rated M for a very good reason though, so be wary.)**

 **So if you guys are interested, I highly recommend you go check out his work. Dude is a GENIUS.**

 **But anyway guys, if you all have any questions for me, let me know. PM me with whatever question you have, and I'll try to answer. This is ButterHunter,** _(And Nep-Nep!)_ **and until next time readers, stay awesome.**


	16. A Heavenly Night

****What is up you awesome readers out there! It's ButterHunter here, back with the long awaited lemon/lime/thing chapter! And, not to mention, probably the longest chapter in this story thus far!****

 ** **So enough dally, let's jump right into it!****

Chapter 16: A Heavenly Night

…

…

…

…

Cameron was still.

He was trying to fall asleep.

But… he couldn't.

He just didn't feel tired.

For… whatever reason.

'Come on… I gotta have my energy for tomorrow.' he thought to himself.

But he just couldn't seem to fall asleep.

So, he rolled over onto his other side, thinking that would help.

But the first thing he saw when he did was Neptune, staring right back at him.

The two stared at each other for quite a while, not saying anything.

"Can't sleep either?" Cameron asked, finally.

Neptune nodded. "I just… don't feel tired yet."

"Same." Cameron said, scooting closer to Neptune.

Without saying anything else, he gently wrapped his arms around Neptune. "Well… as long as we're awake, let's just… talk." he suggested.

"... alright… about what?" Nep asked.

"I don't know… what do you want to talk about?"

Again, silence filled the room, as the two tried to think of things to talk about.

"Wait… wait a minute." Neptune suddenly called out. "I… I just remembered something. Didn't… didn't you fall from the sky, just after me?"

Cameron was quiet. He knew this talk was coming. He just didn't expect Neptune to initiate it, of all people.

 _(Okay, now I REALLY take offense to that!)_

"I… I don't really remember anything…" Cameron admitted slowly. "Well, that's not really true. I remember… fragments. Small bits and pieces. I can't really seem to understand any of them, but… they are certainly there."

"Like what?" Neptune asked him quietly.

"Like…" Cameron started slowly. "My room. A door. A man. You know… just random things like that. But every time I try to remember more… they just float out of reach."

"..." Neptune was quiet, thinking about what Cameron had said.

"I… I really hope we find Histoire soon." Cameron said, almost wistfully. "So that I can make sense of these images. I need to know."

"I know… I know." Neptune agreed, gently patting Cameron on the back.

The two didn't say anything else for quite some time. Yet even so, they still could not manage to fall asleep. Something felt… incomplete.

Cameron squeezed Neptune a little bit. "Come on. Maybe if we just stay like this… we'll sleep. Right?"

"Maybe…" Neptune muttered, trailing off.

They were about to close their eyes, but before they could, their eyes connected. They couldn't help but gaze gently into the each other's eyes.

Before long, Cameron couldn't take it, and leaned forward to kiss her. Neptune instantly returned the favor, and the two could only moan gently for quite some time.

But then…

Neptune felt it again. That heat, slowly building up in her chest.

And… elsewhere.

She pulled away from Cameron suddenly, blushing.

"What's wrong?" Cameron asked instantly, his voice almost sad. "We were just getting into it…"

"I… I'm tired, and um… I think we should… go to bed now. Yeah…" Neptune muttered quietly. She tried to turn over to her other side, but was stopped when Cameron put a hand on her shoulder.

"Neptune? Is something wrong?" he asked.

"N-no! Nothing is wrong! It's just Nep-Nep being Nep-Nep, as usual!" Neptune replied quickly, blush growing even more in her face.

"Neptune." Cameron commanded, almost roughly. "Look at me."

"Wh-why?"

"Just do it. Look at my face, and no where else." he commanded.

Slowly, Neptune forced her eyes to connect with his again. "Good. Now, please tell me. What's wrong? Why are you acting like this?"

"I… I…" Neptune started, trying to put together something.

Then… she just gave up.

"I… I don't know." she admitted.

"What do you mean, 'I don't know?'" Cameron asked.

"I-I mean… ever since last chapter ended, I've had… this weird, warm feeling in my chest again. And… it doesn't want to go away, no matter what I try to do to calm myself. I feel… weird… all over the place. A-and…"

She wanted to say more, but couldn't bring herself to say the last thing.

That she felt all hot and bothered by all of this.

 _(Ohh boy… here we go…)_

"I… I just…" Neptune tried to finish.

"Hey, hey, hey… calm down." Cameron comforted, holding Neptune warmly to his body. "It'll be alright. I'm sure it's nothing. If we calm you down, then we can sleep… maybe."

"M-maybe…" Neptune stammered, stuttering against her will.

Why?

Because when Cameron hugged her, it caused the heat to build even more.

And her mind was racing even faster. She… she couldn't help but feel… like…

Suddenly, she realized.

She really DID feel that way about Cameron. But… how could she tell him? And, most importantly… would he accept it?

"Ah!" Neptune gasped, worming out of Cameron's grasp. Her entire body was begging her to give in. Just let it go, and say it. And everything will be so good…

"Ahh! I-I-I…" Neptune yelled out loud, confused, conflicted, and afraid.

"Neptune… what is wrong with you?" Cameron asked.

Neptune looked at him one more time…

And then her mind couldn't take it anymore. Faster than either of them could process, she rolled over, somehow getting on top of him. But before he could even process that, Neptune spoke up.

"C-C-Cameron, I… I…" Neptune murmured, before she couldn't take it. She kissed him passionately, partly wanting to indulge in happiness again, and partly satisfy this feeling in her chest.

Cameron was understandably lost by all this. Out of nowhere Neptune just rolls on top of him, and suddenly kisses him passionately. What was he supposed to do?

When she finally did part their lips, Cameron looked at her in a very confused way. "N-Neptune?"

"Cameron, I…" she started off, blushing to high-heaven. "I… I love you so much… so, so, SO much…"

"Y-yeah?" Cameron asked softly.

"I… I…" Neptune continued, glancing downward. "I want to show you how much I love you. No tricks. No games. Maybe a few puns. But I really want, more than anything, to show you."

"Sh-show me?" Cameron stuttered out, his eyes going slightly wide. Surely Neptune wasn't talking about what he thought she was, right?

Neptune's hands reached up to his white cotton shirt, and grabbed the bottom of it. Her eyes connected with his again, saying without words, 'If… if you don't want this, say it, and I'll stop… I promise.'

Cameron's eyes grew a little wider, but he remained motionless.

Neptune took that as a go ahead, and she carefully but quickly pulled the shirt off. Cameron wasn't mussled in the torso, but he wasn't exactly thick there either, which Neptune seemed to like.

"I… I want you to be happy." Neptune murmured, her own hands creeping up to the bottom of her own shirt. "I… I want…"

Then, she threw her own shirt off, and continued slowly, "I… want you."

Cameron's eyes bulged, at both Neptune's words and at her partly exposed upper body. The only thing keeping Neptune from being completely naked from the waist up was a (regrettably) small, purple striped bra. Neptune was blushing to high heaven, but she seemed to really enjoy seeing Cameron's eyes bulge out.

 _(Did you just insult me, author?!)_

 **(No, I just-)**

 _(That's insulting me AND my sexy bod! How DARE you?!)_

 **(... I'm just gonna keep writing… I don't feel like arguing.)**

"H-heh…" Neptune giggled a bit. "Do… do you get what I'm saying now?"

Cameron did, even if he didn't say it out right. Now he understood…

Neptune wanted to this story to live up to the M rating, of all things.

But… was this… okay?

Cameron was pulled out of his thoughts suddenly, when again Neptune kissed him passionately, slowly massaging his exposed torso as their tongues danced away in their mouths.

Cameron was feeling a wild assortment of emotions from everything that was happening all at once. Excitement, confusion, nervousness…

Lust.

His body was heating up in response to all of the stimulus Neptune was providing. Which was clearly seen down at his nether region, where…

Let's just say he was pitching a tent as we speak.

 _(Such class in this story, am I right?)_

 **(Yep. We are the classiest here. *grabs a monocle*)**

Once Neptune finally pulled away from her kiss with Cameron, leaving a small trail of saliva connecting the two's mouths, Neptune looked down and saw Cameron's, for lack of a safer alternative word, 'tent'.

"Do… do you want me… to make you feel… happy?" Neptune asked, gently reaching downward towards it.

Cameron was quiet. What should he say? Yes? No? I don't know? I'm scared, I'm ready? What should he say?

Neptune gaged his face carefully. Cameron was conflicted. That much was obvious. Was it because he was afraid? Was it because he didn't know what to do? What to say?

"Cameron…" Neptune cooed, cupping his cheek with one hand, still trying to reach downward. "Are you scared?"

Cameron took a second to register those words, then got out, "Wh-what? Me? Sc-scared? Pff, get real…"

"Cameron… don't lie to me." Neptune said, her voice soft, caring. "I can tell you're scared."

"I-I'm not scared! Honest!" came his reply. "I just… wasn't expecting all this, is all. I mean, I knew it was gonna happen eventually, given what this story is rated, but still…"

"That doesn't mean you aren't at least a little afraid." Neptune tagged on. "Look, I… I want you to be happy. If you don't think that this will make you happy, them tell me. I'll understand."

Cameron stayed quiet again. His mind was racing faster than he could process. However, amid all the confusion and other emotions, he could feel one standing out.

Relief. Sweet, sweet relief. This… this was finally happening. It wasn't a question of when it was to happen, it was about to happen as they spoke. In a way, that thought seemed to calm his nerves.

Slowly, his muscles relaxed. As if a magic spell had been placed on him, he slowly loosened up, pushing the confusion away.

Then, he spoke his own magic words.

"I… I want you to be happy, Neptune." he said, his hands coming up to rest on her shoulders. "So… if you… want to do those kinds of things…"

Neptune watched his face slowly become red, but nevertheless his voice was crystal clear as he stated, "Then by all means… let's do it."

 **WARNING! THE LEMON/LIME/THING STARTS NOW! HIDE THE CHILDREN!**

 _(And that's my cue to leave! I, uh, don't think I want to interrupt these scenes, so I'm not gonna put my notes in them. Just an FYI.)_

 **(That and she's blushing harder than steel thinking about reading this.)**

 _(...you know me too well.)_

Neptune slowly grinned broadly. The heat rose even further in her chest.

It was time.

Carefully, she looked down and brought her hands to Cameron's shorts, and by extension, his boxers.

At the same time, Cameron's hands went around to the straps of Neptune's bra. But something was holding him back. Something… he couldn't describe.

Neptune had no such hesitation. In one, swift movement, Cameron's boxers were thrown off of his body, showing off his manhood in all of it's pride and glory.

Then, Cameron shuffled uncontrollably. "What?" Neptune asked.

"Just… something doesn't feel right here…" he said gently.

That's what his mouth said. But his head was screaming: 'I don't feel very comfortable… when you look like… this."

Somehow, though, Nep seemed to pick through his words to find the truth. But rather than get mad, like he had expected to happen, Neptune seemed to almost… giggle.

And suddenly, the solution came into light.

Quite literally, as Neptune suddenly became encased in a bright pillar of light. Cameron had to clamp his eyes together to hide from the light, it was so bright.

Once the light died down, Cameron looked back at Neptune, only to see…

"Sweet mother of Jebediah Kerbal." Cameron said softly, eyes growing bigger with each passing second.

Above him was Purple Heart. Minus most of her outfit.

The soft moon light filtering in through the room perfectly illuminated her. Most of what she would normally wear above the waist was gone, leaving only a small bra keeping her now much bigger breasts contained. Her skin seemed to almost glow, and she smiled, suddenly filled with confidence.

"Does this make you feel better?" Purple Heart asked, flashing a sly smile.

Cameron didn't need to answer. His reddening face said it all. Even if he wanted to, he could only stare at the beauty on top of him.

"N-Neptune… you're… beautiful." he got out, almost breathlessly.

Neptune almost blushed at the compliment. "Thank you, Cameron. That's… that's nice of you to say."

"I probably would've said things like that before, if not for the fact that every time you transformed, a fight followed." Cameron responded, glancing off to the side nervously. "But… won't this form drain you physically?"

Purple Heart shook her head. "I'm sure I can handle this." she stated confidently. "I feel much stronger like this."

Cameron slowly closed his eyes, then spoke softly, "Well… if… if you're ready." he said, readjusting his grip on Purple Heart's bra.

"Oh, believe me. I'm MORE than ready for this~..." Purple Heart agreed seductively.

Cameron knew that it was time to start. With a final breath to psych himself up, he quickly pushed the bra off of Purple Heart, exposing her wonderful breasts for him to marvel at.

Purple Heart blushed lightly, but her lust was only increasing with each passing second. "Allow me to start…" she said, moving downward to get a gaze at Cameron's rather impressive cock.

Then Cameron saw her slowly fiddling with the things below her waist. Before he could even process what that meant…

Purple Heart was now, completely and utterly naked.

If Cameron's eyes weren't big before, they were now. All he could do was stare at her lower region. It looked perfect: small, pink, and slightly moist already.

"So… how would you like me to do it?" Purple Heart asked, a slight smile curling at her lips.

"U-u-umm… uh…" Cameron stuttered, unsure of what to say.

Purple Heart understood his confusion. She was unsure herself about this, but… she couldn't hold it back. That'd be a feat none could conquer.

"How about…" Purple Heart started, leaning downward. "We start like this…"

Slowly, seductively, she gave Cameron's penis a short lick. Cameron nearly jumped at the strange, new sensation. But it wasn't bad…

In fact, he started wanting more.

Soon followed another lick. Then another. Then another. Purple Heart kept switching up her methods, sometimes furiously licking his shaft up and down, other times slowly curling her way up to the top, flashing Cameron seductive looks all the way.

Cameron was moaning: this was unlike anything he'd ever experienced before, and he wanted MORE. So much so, that when Neptune suddenly pulled away from his cock, he almost lost it.

"Wh-why… why'd you stop…?" he asked in between pants.

Purple Heart suddenly grinned. "Judging your reaction." she answered, before suddenly slamming her face back down and taking his entire length into her warm mouth.

Cameron was frozen in place. Purple Heart's mouth was mind-numbing. Her tongue attacked his member from all sides, and the constant bobbing action of her mouth made small, sticky sounds echo throughout the entire apartment, which only turned Cameron on more.

"N-Neptune…" he managed to moan out. "D-don't… don't stop…"

Clearly he didn't realize that stopping was the last thing on Purple Heart's mind, especially when some pre-cum leaked out from Cameron's throbbing member.

Her eyes widened: it almost tasted like pudding. A craving like she had never felt before developed: she needed as much as she could get, and NOW.

Her pace only quickened from there. Her mouth was expertly milking Cameron for all he was worth, and Cameron couldn't last forever.

When his breathing suddenly changed, Purple Heart instantly understood what that meant: Cameron was near his breaking point. Which would mean a mouthful of his tasty white stuff.

Her bobbing motion somehow got even _faster_ , trying as hard as she could to get the release out of Cameron. Finally, thirty seconds later, it became too much to handle.

With a loud moan, Cameron unleashed a torrent of semen into the goddesses mouth, to the point where she had trouble keeping it all in. Once the flood stopped, Purple Heart slowly released Cameron's cock from its wonderful prison.

She swallowed hard, making sure that Cameron heard it loud and clear. Once that was finished, she noticed that Cameron seemed to be panting very hard.

"Cameron? Are you okay?" Purple Heart asked, getting down by him. "I didn't go too hard on you, did I?"

"N-no… no… just…" Cameron panted, trying to recollect himself. "That… that felt beyond amazing. I just… just need a moment."

"Right. I'll be right back." Neptune replied, quickly leaving the bedroom and heading for the bathroom. Once there, she quickly washed her mouth out, until no trace of Cameron's release was in her mouth. She had no idea if Cameron was a person that didn't like to taste themselves, but she wasn't about to risk it during their first time together.

Once she was satisfied that her mouth was rinsed clean, she returned to Cameron, who looked like he had recovered in those few moments. "You look better." she commented.

"Heh… well, you don't look half bad yourself." Cameron flirted cheesily.

Purple Heart made fake moan of disapproval, saying, "You did not just say that right now."

"I said it and I'm proud. Now get over here." Cameron stated, cheekily grabbing Purple Heart by the arm and pulling her on the bed, so now he was on top, sitting on Purple Heart's stomach.

Purple Heart, surprised for a brief second, laughed. "Since when did you get so bold?" she asked, wiggling her hips suggestively.

"About the same time you became a bombshell and a half." Cameron replied, pulling the goddess into a deep, sensual kiss. Just because they were kissing, however, that didn't mean they weren't doing anything else.

Cameron's hands slowly worked their way upward, toward the two round, beautiful mounds of Purple Heart. He gently kneaded the one on his left, triggering light moans from Purple Heart while they were still in the kiss.

Cameron realized that if wanted to pleasure a goddess, he'd have to try much harder. So, once he pulled his mouth away from Purple Heart's, he pulled himself downward and gently sucked on the left nipple, while his right hand kneaded the other one.

Moans came from Purple Heart, but they weren't as loud as Cameron would've liked. He spent a little bit longer on the left, before quickly moving over to the right.

Some time spent there still had no effect on the moans Purple Heart was letting out, and Cameron was starting to run out of ideas. But he did have one last ace up his proverbial sleeve: Purple Heart's blooming flower.

Slowly, he popped off Purple Heart's breast and lowered himself even further, until he had a clear view of her vagina. Glancing upwards, he gave Purple Heart one last look that asked, 'Ready?'

Purple Heart nodded, but she also had a plan of her own. She still wasn't over the taste of Cameron's 'pudding,' and she still craved more. Seeing that he was still hard, why not help him lighten that load?

So just as Cameron's mouth kissed Purple Heart's nether region, sparking a much stronger wave of pleasure, she quickly twisted herself around under him, suddenly putting the two into everybody's favorite sixty-nine position.

Before Cameron even had time to question this, Purple Heart quite simply swallowed his cock, forcing a shudder of pleasure from the man. He understood what Purple Heart was trying to do: double the pleasure.

'Two can play at that game!' he yelled in his head, quickly restarting his deep kiss on the Lady's blooming flower. The taste was indescribable. All Cameron knew was that he wanted as much as he could get.

Meanwhile, down lower, Purple Heart was trying to deep-throat Cameron's penis, to cover as much as she could with her tongue. Once he leaked pre-cum, her efforts only increased to drive him past the point of no return.

The two were in a heated battle over who was about to orgasm first, and it seemed tied up for quite some time. But suddenly, just as it came down to the wire, Purple Heart's pussy convulsed around Cameron's invading tongue, telling him the fateful sign: she was close.

He increased his licking as much as he could, and was soon after rewarded with a loud, slightly muffled moan from Purple Heart, her mouth still full of Cameron's cock. The juices that soaked his tongue had never tasted sweeter than that victory.

Once Cameron recognized her flag of defeat, Cameron fired off the rest of his white-hot semen into Purple Heart's mouth, finally draining his reserves. The two were so exhausted by their double-orgasm, that once Purple Heart pried herself off Cameron's softening penis and turned herself around under him, she slowly lost her transformation, returning into a very, very drained Neptune once more.

 **Lemon/lime/thing is over now. Think that's the longest one I've ever done too. You're welcome.**

"Haah… hah… hah…" Cameron panted. His breathing was ragged. That was…

"C-Cameron… that was…" Neptune said, quivering slightly underneath him, the afterglow still strong within her.

"That was…" Cameron muttered softly. "Amazing."

"It… it really was… but I'm beat." Neptune murmured, finally feeling her eyelids grow heavy. They had done it. Now maybe the universe would let them sleep.

Slowly, they pulled the covers over their exposed bodies, never losing eye contact. They pulled each other closer once again to share another kiss. But just before they passed out…

"Goodnight Neptune." Cameron said sleepily, his eyes closed and nearly asleep. "I love you… love… you…"

That was all he said before the rest of his energy left him, and sleep, glorious sleep, embraced him.

And all was quiet…

…

…

 _(Is… is it safe?)_

 **(Yep. All clear.)**

 _(Thank cod for that! It was getting stuffy back there!)_

 **(Well what did you expect? You were hiding in my closet the whole time.)**

 _(... Touche.)_

 _Some time later…_

"Mmm…"

A faint noise.

"Mmmm…"

What was that?

"Urgh, five more minutes…"

Won't stop.

"Ugh… fine, have it your way."

Slowly, Cameron's eyes opened. He looked around, but… he couldn't pinpoint that noise he was hearing.

However, that was soon the least of his worries.

"Wait… where am I?"

He looked around. This wasn't Compa's room. This wasn't anywhere the group had been thus far. This was…

An inky black room, completely empty of everything.

Everything except the sound.

Which Cameron could now identify as… a soft humming?

But suddenly, it stopped.

 _Hello._

Cameron jumped. Did… did someone just talk?

 _You just woke up, didn't you?_

"Wh-what? Wh-who's there?" Cameron asked, looking around again. "Is… is that you, Histoire?"

 _Do not look for me. I am not... there. I have mustered up enough strength to only talk to you. And no, I am not Histoire._

"Wh-what?" Cameron softly murmured. "Wait… where am I? Who are you? What is happening? Why-"

 ** _ENOUGH._**

Cameron winced, and quickly shut up. The voice, while feminine-ish, had suddenly amplified into something… indescribable.

 _That's more like it. Getting flustered and panicked about things you don't know will be the end of you._

Cameron was quiet. What was this voice talking about?

 _Now, where was I? Ah, yes. As I said, I am not currently manifested there at the moment. Looking around for me will not bear any fruit._

"..."

 _Are you alright Cameron? You're being quiet._

Cameron almost said something, but stopped once he realized what the voice had said. "W-wait… how do you know my name?"

 _Ah… I seem to be getting ahead of myself. I'll explain everything I can, but I don't have a lot of time. Please don't interrupt me._

"O-okay…" Cameron replied softly.

 _So, for lack of a better explanation, I know your name, because I knew you before you lost your memory. You could say… we were closer than anyone knew._

"I… I knew a voice in my head?" Cameron asked gently.

… _when you put it like that it sounds strange, but that is more or less what happened. But now, we are apart. You lost your memory, and I am, quite literally, tied to it._

"Now how does that make sense?" Cameron asked.

 _You tell me. You're the main character in a third-rate fanfiction about goddesses and overpowered skills, and every chapter takes twenty years to get out. But enough of that._

 _(*sigh* I will give you anything, ANYTHING, author, to stop doing my job for me! Come on!)_

 **(Give up pudding for a week and I'll consider.)**

 _(... why am I surprised…)_

 _In any event, the most important thing you should do now is wait. By now your amnesia should've worn off, but something is keeping that from happening. My guess is that that one person… Histoire? Histoire. She's got the answer for you. So the best thing you can do is fight for those Key Fragments, like she said._

"You seem really fixated on getting my memory back." Cameron mused.

 _But of course. After all, there's things there that… I'd rather not have others see. Who knows what will, could, or might happen? If we don't act fast, your memory might become corrupted with false messages. Or worse…_

Cameron didn't want to hear it. "Whatever. I'm getting my memory back."

 _That's what I like to hear. Now, I'm running out of time, but do you have any questions?_

"Yeah, a couple." Cameron explained. "First, why can't you just tell me your name? If it's so important to remember, why not just tell me?"

 _Simple. Because, as I said, I am tied to your memory. I could tell you my name. I could tell you everything. I could tell your entire life from birth to now, if I wanted. But you wouldn't be able comprehend it. You can't comprehend it. Getting your memory back is the only way to truly remember everything that you have in your mind. I know it sounds ridiculous, but telling you about yourself would be pointless. Your mind wouldn't be able to say, "yes, that's it! That's me!" or anything like that. Besides, if I told you everything, what good would that do for the plot?_

"...you make a valid point." Cameron agreed quietly. "Okay… can I ask another question?"

 _Unfortunately, no. I may have gone off on a bit of a tangent. I'm out of time. For now, I must bid you adieu, Cameron. Oh, and one more thing. DON'T tell anyone about me. For now at least. I'm no expert, but I don't think someone saying they heard a voice in their head would cause anything but good._

"Fair enough." Cameron replied. Then, something came to his mind. "Wait, I need to know something!"

 _Good bye for now. We will met again, Cameron._

"W-wait!" Cameron suddenly called out.

But he had been too late. Now the voice ceased to talk anymore.

And the night continued.

 _Some time later…_

"Mmrgh…"

Light was shining through the window of the bedroom. But Cameron didn't want to wake up. He wanted a little more sleep…

Sadly, something else made him get up. Rather, someone.

 _(Suddenly, Nep-Nep!)_

"Cameron? Are you awake?" a familiar voice spoke above him, which would only belong to Neptune.

"Mmm…" Cameron grunted.

"I didn't catch that." Neptune murmured, leaning closer.

"Mmmm…" Cameron grunted again, trying to sulk further under the covers.

"One more time?" Neptune breathed, right in his ear.

"I said…" Cameron responded slowly. "I'm sleeping."

"Ah come on. I'm hungry." Neptune said, moving over to look at his face.

"Go eat a pudding or something. Just give me a few more minutes…" Cameron groaned, bunching up the covers.

"But I wanna eat it with Y-O-U~" Neptune said cutely.

"Not right now… Neptune…" Cameron replied, a second away from passing out again.

"Yes, right now!" Neptune argued, grabbing Cameron by his arm under the covers. "Come on, I already grabbed your clothes and everything. Just eat with me!"

Cameron groaned and groaned and groaned some more, but eventually gave up and grabbed the stack of garments Neptune handed him. "That's the spirit! I'll be in the kitchen." she said triumphantly, running out.

Cameron briefly considered falling back asleep again, but that would be pointless. He was already awake.

"Damn it Neptune…" Cameron muttered gently, but it didn't matter. He was up.

While he dressed himself, Cameron thought about last night. That was the most eventful night either of them had had in some time, that much Cameron was sure. But… what would they do when Compa and IF came back home? Surely they were heading home now, if not already on the way.

'Well… as long as we stay quiet about it, maybe they won't question anything?' Cameron thought to himself. 'I don't like hiding things from those two… but with this I don't think I really have a choice. Besides, why would they want to hear that I did those things with Neptune last night?'

And then… there was that voice…

Somehow, it seemed familiar, yet totally unknown to him. How should he approach this new development?

'Well… the voice did say to not tell anyone about them.' he thought. 'And even if I really wanted to, why would I say something about a voice in my head? That seems like something a not-so-right-in-the-head person would say.'

With a somewhat firm belief that everything would work out in the end, Cameron headed out once he was dressed. Neptune, true to her word, was sitting behind the counter, a bowl of pudding in front of her.

"Took ya long enough." Neptune poked his shoulder.

"Well sorry for taking so long to get dressed." Cameron replied, though it was light-hearted.

"The pudding's almost room temperature now." Neptune complained in a joking manner. "How am I supposed to enjoy room temperature pudding?"

"Like this." Cameron explained, taking Neptune spoon and taking a small bite of her pudding. "Hm, not bad."

"Hey, that's mine!" Neptune complained, playfully tackling Cameron to get her spoon back. "Stop eating my pudding!"

"Make me!" Cameron taunted, grinning. The next few minutes were spent with the two playfully messing around with each other, playing Keep-away.

Neptune was quick, but somehow that spoon just eluded her grasp time and time again. So she decided to play dirty.

When the moment was right, she quickly tackled him again, but this time put enough force in it to send both tumbling back into the couch.

Neptune pulled herself up to look into his eyes, and said happily, "I win."

"You cheated." Cameron complained, though smiling.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Neptune denied, grinning broader.

They bantered for a minute or so, but ultimately Cameron gave up Neptune's prize and handed her the spoon. Neptune said, "Nice doing business with you." before jumping off him and heading back to the counter, quickly digging in.

"Heh." Cameron laughed, standing up and moving behind the counter. "Can you EVER get enough of that stuff?"

"Nope. Never have, never will!" Neptune said happily, between bites.

"Well, you enjoy that. I'm gonna make something else." Cameron said, looking through Compa's kitchen. "Hope Compa won't mind."

"What are you gonna make?" Neptune asked.

"You'll see." Cameron replied.

A few minutes later, loud sizzling sounds filled the air. Cameron turned over some pancakes and flipped some bacon strips, making the room smell almost like a diner.

He was just about to finish cooking, when the sound of the door unlocking and opening up was heard. "I'm baaack!" the voice of Compa called out joyfully.

"I'm here too." the voice of IF jumped in, close behind. "And something smells delicious."

"Morning!" Cameron called out, once the two came into the kitchen. "I was just making some breakfast."

"Oooh! Did you make any for me?" Compa asked, stars in her eyes. "I didn't make any over at the hospital."

"I can make some." Cameron answered. "You want any?" he asked IF.

"If you can make it in ten, I'll take some." IF challenged, hefting her bag.

"Challenge accepted." Cameron agreed, getting to work.

True to his word, ten minutes later he had two extra plates of hot food at the ready. He even went so far as to add some scrambled eggs and freshly buttered toast.

"When I cook, I cook enough to feed a person for a day." Cameron explained jokingly, as Compa and IF stared at the small mountains of food. "Dig in!"

This was no small task, but Compa and IF just managed to eat all that Cameron had made. Even so, they looked very satisfied.

"I'm stuffed…" Compa moaned, rubbing her belly.

"Same here." IF agreed. "But it was worth it."

"Mmhm." Cameron snickered. "I'm thinking seconds. You guys want any more?"

Compa and IF stared at him, amazed. "Wh-what? You're still-"

"I'm joking." Cameron laughed. "Even I realize I made a lot there. At least you two seemed to enjoy it."

"I should have you cook more." Compa said, standing and taking her plate to the sink. "That was delicious."

Neptune decided now would be a good time to speak up. "Soo… what's the plan for today?"

"Right now? Relaxing." IF explained, starting to wash the plates. "I'm not feeling like moving around a lot right now."

"Same here." Compa agreed. "But, are we going to Leanbox after that?"

"That was part of the deal you two made, no?" Cameron asked, resparking the bet.

"Oh yeah!" Neptune exclaimed, grinning at IF. "We made that bet, didn't we?"

"You still think that Lady Green Heart is a gamer?" IF asked, more confidently than ever. "It's just her cover."

"Suuurre it is." Neptune taunted. "And I'm not the goddess of Planeptune. Oh, wait! I am!"

"*sigh*... enough banter you two." Cameron interrupted, stepping in before this could get anymore out of control. "Let's not fight in the middle of Compa's apartment, and instead focus on the task at hand: getting ready to go to Leanbox."

The rest of the group, some more reluctant than others, agreed. Within the next hour, the group have repacked all their bags and was ready to head over to Leanbox.

 _A few more hours later…_

"S-so… this is Leanbox's Basilicom?" Compa asked nervously.

The four were standing in front of the ornate building that the locals said was the Basilicom of Leanbox. But by looks alone, it looked more like a castle, which was what partly contributed to Compa slight nerves.

"It looks like it." Neptune replied, watching the place. "Hope we don't get treated like back in Lastation."

"I hope so too…" Compa agreed.

As the group headed forward, Cameron looked over at IF. "IF? What are you looking at on your cell?"

"Lady Green Heart's blog." IF responded, putting the phone away. "There was just an update, so she must be here."

"On which blog?" Cameron teased.

"Hahaha, no, that can't be." Neptune laughed. "I'm pretty sure someone else is doing those blog entries."

"Don't ruin my image any more than you need to!" IF scolded, but she knew that it was pointless.

"I'm sorry," Neptune apologized. "But I didn't expect you to be so into Lady Green Heart's blog."

"Well, sorry for being a follower…" IF muttered huffily.

"Awww…" Cameron cooed, wrapping an arm around IF. "You know she's just messing with ya, IF. But you can be tsun-tsun a bit if you want."

Compa, meanwhile, was talking to Nep. "Oh, Nep-Nep, stop teasing Iffy already. Let's head inside."

"I wouldn't mind playing with Iffy a bit more, but I guess I'll do it later." Neptune teased.

"Welp… here we go." Cameron stated, getting to the door and holding it open. "Ladies first."

 _(I was half expecting you to type something like, 'Ladies and Neptune first.' or something like that. At least you can show a LITTLE respect to me!)_

They all filed in, looking around at the fancy decor all over, and a few busy workers here and there. Neptune called out, "Hello! We're here to see the CPU!"

An older man approached the group. He had long, white hair, a matching white mustache and goatee, and green robes. He spoke with a deep, yet calm, voice. "My oh my, what a lively group of youth we have here." he said. "My name is Yvoire. What brings you here today?"

"We came to see the CPU." Neptune replied simply. "Is she around?"

"How amazingly unfortunate." Yvoire apologized. "Meeting time with the CPU is done for today."

Neptune wasn't that easily deterred. "Aw, come on. She's here, right? Just a little peak. Only a little."

"Nep, it's our fault being late." IF said quickly, putting a hand on Neptune's shoulder. "We'll come again tomorrow."

"Giving up so quick?" Neptune noticed. "I thought you were all over the goddess?"

IF seemed to lose her cool slightly. "Wh-what? M-me? Y-yeah, but this isn't the right place or time to say such a thing!"

"Innocence is so cruel…" Compa said quietly.

Yvoire, however, looked pleased with IF. "As one who serves the Lady, I can't be happier with your admiration." he explained.

"You're voice definitely sells that point…" Cameron commented softly, so that no one heard him. Yvoire's voice, while calm, didn't seem to convey a lot of outward emotion otherwise.

"But, rules are rules." Yvoire continued. "To add, the Lady has matters to attend to."

"Guess it can't be helped then." Cameron summed up.

"Well, there's still a lot of day left. Let's just tour the city to pass the time." IF suggested.

"Sounds like a plan." Neptune agreed. "Oh, um, Mr. Eviler?"

"That's Yvoire to you, young lady." Yvoire corrected.

"Do you happen to know anything about a Key Fragment?" Nep asked.

"Wait, did you really get my name?!" Yvoire questioned.

"It would help a lot if you knew something, Mr. Evilest." Compa pressed on.

"Did my name become worse?!" Yvoire asked, clearly getting flustered.

"And just in case…" Neptune continued, pulling out the piece they already had from Cameron's bag. "It looks like this. Have you ever seen one before?"

"I'm not getting into this mess…" IF said quietly.

"I see what you mean…" Yvoire agreed with IF.

"Mr. Evil-whatchamacallit, do you know anything?" Neptune asked again.

"...I'm gonna be honest with you, I have no clue if they're doing it on purpose, or what." Cameron admitted.

 _(...would you believe me if I said that it wasn't on purpose…?)_

Yvoire, temporarily ignoring what he was just called, looked at the piece in Neptune's hand. "70 years of my life and I've never seen one like that before." he answered, shaking his head.

"Shucks." Neptune muttered disappointedly, dropping the Fragment back into the bag.

"But the Lady may know. She was around for hundreds of years, after all." Yvoire offered.

"Hundreds?! So that means Lady Green Heart is an old ha-urgh?!" Neptune started, the last bit strangled because IF came over and clamped her mouth shut.

"Okay, that's about it Nep. Don't say a single word you were about to say." IF warned, a dangerous look in her eyes.

Calling the grip IF had over Neptune's mouth a clamp of solid steel would be an understatement. "Urghmrph!" Neptune gagged out, but couldn't do much more than that.

"Iffy? Cameron?" Compa started timidly. "Before Nep-Nep says something bad, I think we better head out.

"The last thing we want is for Neptune to mess something like this up…" Cameron agreed.

Compa politely spoke to Yvoire. "I'm sorry. We'll come back tomorrow, then."

"I'll be waiting for then." Yvoire replied, bowing.

"Good day, sir." IF said.

Cameron didn't say anything, but he did bow his head respectfully.

However, as the group headed for the exit, IF suddenly bumped into someone she didn't see. "Oh, I'm sorry."

"No problem." the person replied hastily. This was another woman, though no one was sure what she looked like due to a large, black hood over her head. "I'm sorry for not paying attention, too…"

IF quickly caught up with the rest. "Something happen?" Compa asked.

"I accidently bumped into someone." IF explained, gesturing behind her.

"You should be careful, Iffy." Compa scolded gently.

"At least she isn't as bad as Neptune…" Cameron muttered quietly.

Thankfully, Neptune was far enough away so that she hadn't heard him say that. "Iffy, Compa, Cameron. Let's go."

"Coming." IF replied.

"Right behind you." Cameron added, briskly heading after IF.

"Wait up! You guys-!" Compa called out.

None of them realized that the same woman that IF had bumped into was watching them. "That's…" she spoke to herself quietly.

"Oh, another guest? How may I help you?" Yvoire asked.

"My name is Conversation, an evangelist of Lowee." the new woman introduced.

 _(Heads up: The name 'Conversation', is pronounced, '_ _Convercación'.)_

Yvoire seemed confused. "How unusual… and what brings an evangelist of Lowee here?" he asked.

"Please, do not be alarmed." Conversation calmly stated. "I did not come to Leanbox to spread the word of Lady White Heart."

"Then the reason is aside from evangelizing?" Yvoire asked.

"Yes. I come with information from our Lady herself." Conversation explained.

"Information, you say?"

"Yes. It is in regards to the worship of the Overlord."

"Overlord worship?"

"In Gamindustri, there are four goddesses, and people revere either one of them." Conversation reminded. "But of recent, there are those who worship none of the goddesses."

Yvoire seemed taken back by this. "...so they are turning to worship of the Overlord? But, here? In Leanbox?"

"I do not believe so, as those who live in Leanbox follow close to the CPU." Conversation replied, sounding reasonably sure. "But, suppose such ones came from afar into Leanbox…?"

"...and evangelize, as you…?" Yvoire guessed.

"No. They are heretics, and do not evangelize such as myself." Conversation responded firmly. "Instead, they find weaknesses, and slowly turn people to the Overlord."

"So you are saying such are in Leanbox?" Yvoire asked.

"Yes…" Conversation replied. Then, her voice lowered. "For example, the young girls and young man you have met earlier… they are heretics. Followers of the Overlord, Momus."

"What?!" Yvoire exclaimed, disbelieving. "That is quite hard to believe, especially from youths such as them…"

"As proof, they appeared in Lastation, where the Goddess' Share fell… and summoned monsters. Inciting fear, and destruction to the city. If you still don't believe me, see for yourself."

Conversation then proceeded to pull out a small device, like a video recorder or something of the like. She pushed a few buttons on it, then presented it to Yvoire, who took it and pushed 'Play'.

The screen flickered, then, a video began to play. A person appeared, and guess who it was? Ganache. The slimeball himself was on the screen, and he started talking.

"I can't believe what I saw, but it was real." he said, sounding beyond frightened. "The girl called Neptune summoned the monsters, destroying the city… it was a surreal sight, seeing the young child laugh among the chaos. Just remembering it brings back the shivers… brr…"

He was quiet for some time. Conversation held her hand out to take the recorder back, when suddenly, more sound came from it. "Oh, Ms. Conversation? How did that sound? Pretty real, right?"

"Oh! O-oops!" Conversation said hastily, swiping the recorder back quickly. "You didn't hear that."

She tucked the device away and turned back to Yvoire. "That was Mr. G, living in Lastation. Since his joining Avenir, he worked hard, earning rank among the company. His outstanding background is proof he is one to be trusted."

Yvoire still seemed doubtful. "His background does speak words, but yet… I cannot believe such innocents could do such a thing."

 _(Seriously, did he, like, NOT hear that last bit of the video or something? I'm pretty sure a wild Dogoo would understand that this person was lying after that.)_

"Very well." Conversation responded, standing straighter. "Once I can get further proof, I will be back again."

With that, she quickly left the building. Once outside and a reasonable distance away from the place, she let out a sigh of relief. 'Nearly lost it there… thankfully he still seems to have bought it, to some extent.'

Conversation looked around again, trying to spot something, or someone. She saw something, and briskly headed that way.

When she got to the place, she found… another hooded person, this one a man. "Did you see them?" Conversation asked.

"Yes." he said. "They are heading out of town. They can't have gone far, they are only heading to the neighboring town. They haven't left just yet. With luck, you can get there before they do."

"Good. Is he ready?"

"About as ready as he'll ever be."

"We leave in thirty seconds."

Conversation and this man nodded, and quickly parted, with Conversation heading towards the outskirts of the city.

Straight into a dungeon.

 **Welp, there we go!**

 _(Finally glad you got 'that' out, huh?)_

Believe me, you have no idea how good it feels to get that off my chest.

(...)

 **Noire? You're still here?**

 _(Please tell me you didn't read all of that.)_

(...)

 **Ummm… blink once if you can hear us.**

(*blink*)

 _(Okay… blink twice if you read past the warning.)_

(*blink**blink*)

 ** **Ah damn it. I put that warning there for a reason! Why didn't you listen?!****

 ** ***sighs* Anyway readers, hopefully you weren't as traumatized as Noire over here. I hope you did enjoy the chapter, even though it took as long as it did.****

 ** **But that's why I have a special treat for you all. You'll see what it is soon enough.****

 ** **As always, if you guys have any questions for me, PM me and I'll try to answer them as soon as I can. Until next time guys, stay awesome.****


	17. A New OC Approaches!

**Hello all you awesome readers out there! It's ButterHunter, with the second part of my special treat!**

 **Let's not waste any time! Here you go!**

Chapter 17: A New OC Approaches!

"So, what do we want to do first?" Neptune asked.

The four were walking around the bright, colorful town. People were walking from building to building, talking, or simply enjoying the beautiful day today.

"I heard there's a great cafe at a town nearby serving sublime scones." IF suggested.

Compa looked excited. "If Iffy says so, it must be good. I want to go there, too."

"Me three!" Neptune replied.

"I'm down." Cameron agreed.

"Okay, then it's set. There should be a horse carriage that'll take us there." IF said, looking around.

"Horse carriage? What is this, dragon ages?" Cameron asked, confused.

But as it turns out, this wouldn't be as easy as thought. When IF found and went up to the carriage driver, the driver said that it would be impossible.

"Huh?! What do you mean the carriage isn't running?" IF asked ludicrously.

"Well, we can't send them out with all those monsters out there now." the driver responded gruffly.

"So can you tell us how to get to the neighboring town?" Compa asked politely.

"Hmm…" the driver thought for a moment. "The only way there is to go through the dungeon area."

"Oh, no…" Compa said sadly.

"Sorry for the trouble, but I have to get back to work now." the driver said quickly, and left the group by themselves.

"Well… what now?" Cameron asked.

"It can't be that far off. Let's just walk there." IF said, sighing.

"I guess so. Speaking of, do you know the way there?" Compa asked.

"Oh, that's right…" IF muttered, having forgotten that they didn't know the exact way there. "Let's ask around and see if we can get directions."

"Leave it to me, then!" Neptune offered happily. "My positive demeanor will get directions in a jiffy!"

 _(None can resist the positiveness of me! I'm like an energy drink, but you don't have to worry about that calorie or caffeine junk!)_

As Neptune started to look around for someone to ask, IF turned to Compa. "Where does Nep's confidence come from, Compa?"

"I don't know…" she replied, in a lower voice.

Cameron sighed. "Well, I'll follow after her and make sure she doesn't get in trouble."

Once Cameron caught up with Nep, Nep found someone. "Hello there, can I bother you for a minute?" she asked.

"Hmm? Me?" the new person question. This person was, no surprise, another girl. This girl had the appearance of a mid-older teen, with a slender body and a slight tan. She had red eyes and long, gray hair that reached halfway down her back. Her attire was… risky at best. She wore a red and black strapless sports bra, partly covering her modest breasts, and torn, blue gi pants. Towards the bottom of the pants, most of the right pant leg was torn off, but the left one had a red flame design running down it. The pants were tied at the waist with a red and black martial arts belt, solidifying the idea that she seemed like a melee fighter. Oddly enough, she didn't have shoes on, but she did have a pair of silver bracelets on her right ankle. On top of that, she wore black fingerless gloves with six silver spikes on each, and a silver necklace of some sort that had 'Tekken' on a pendent, in big, all caps letters.

 _(Hey, I just noticed but… you really go in deep with descriptions characters in this story now. Anything to say about that?)_

 **(*shrugs* I dunno. I guess I just felt that I wasn't describing enough before. Better to over describe than under, you know?)**

 _(I guess so… ah well, more to read.)_

"Yeah. We want to go to the town close by here, but we have no idea how to get there." Cameron backed up.

"Oh, just go south and then head straight. You can't miss it." the girl explained. "Here, take this map. I don't need it anyway."

"Really?! Yay! Thank you!" Neptune exclaimed happily, taking the map.

"..." the girl stared at Neptune curiously.

Neptune noticed that. "Hm?"

"*stare*" the look became slightly more intense.

"Is there… something on my face?" Neptune asked, turning to Cameron. Cameron shook his head no.

"Are you… Neptune?" the girl asked.

"Uh-huh. That's me. Why?" Nep asked.

"I knew it!" the new girl responded happily. "Oh, I'm just so happy to meet you!"

"You know me?!" Nep asked, surprised.

"Yes. Well, to be precise, I know Neptune of a different world." the girl explained.

"So you're from another world too?" Cameron asked. "There seems to be quite a lot of these people…"

"Yes! My name is Tekken. Nice to meet you, other world Neptune!" the new girl introduced.

"Nice to meet you too!" Neptune introduced.

"But… I don't know who you are?" Tekken questioned, looking at Cameron.

"Oh, me?" Cameron responded. "I'm Cameron, resident packmule, sword wielder, gunslinger, male protagonist, and just about anything else I need to be."

 **(And no, that does not include your personal pudding butler, Neptune, story or not.)**

 _(...phooey.)_

"Hey, Nep!" IF called from a-ways. "Don't bother passersby too much, okay?"

"Oh, sorry, looks like Iffy is calling me. Thanks for the map, Tekken!" Neptune said, waving.

"Sure. Hope to see you some other time, Neptune!" Tekken responded happily, walking a bit further away.

But Cameron noticed something. Tekken had dropped something unbeknownst to her. "Hey, wait! You dropped something!" he called out.

He picked up… a pair of simple, leather gloves. They looked a little big for Tekken to be honest. They looked simple, yet comfortable, with small red rings on the back, getting smaller until they framed where a person's' knuckles would be, kinda like the top view of a mountain map.

Tekken looked back and saw what Cameron had. "Oh, those? I was meaning to get rid of those, but you can have them if you want."

Cameron looked at the gloves again, then quickly tried them on. They fit, well, like a glove. "Huh. Just my size." he softly commented. "Oh great, now there's gonna be a 'size' joke in the review page, isn't there?"

As he walked away, Tekken glanced over her shoulder one more time. "It looks like both girls are friends in this world too. I hope I see them again."

 _Some time later…_

After making a quick pit stop at the Guild to accept a few more quests, the group was ready to head for the nearby town. "Hope that cafe is well worth it." Cameron spoke up.

"Should be. It's got 4.5 stars." IF replied, closing her phone.

They were almost to the dungeon, when the group saw an interesting looking building just at the exit, boarding on some fields. A small, painted sign was above it, reading "Lane Family Tools: For All Your Weapon Needs."

"Hmm…" Cameron hummed, eyeing the shop closely. "I want to take a look around, honestly. It seems interesting."

"Well… alright, but just for a bit." IF answered, checking the time.

The four stepped in, a bell sounding somewhere else in the shop.

"Oh! Customers! Welcome!" a tired, but happy, looking woman behind the counter called out. "I didn't think we'd get customers at this time."

"Well, we're just looking around a bit." Cameron replied, looking around the place. There was just about anything one could want there. Swords, small shields, pendants, armor… the works. "Nice selection." he commented.

"All our goods are handmade by our family." the woman stated proudly. "It's a family tradition for as long as anyone can remember.

For a minute or two, everyone just looked around, interested in all that the shop had to offer. IF was even seen eyeing a shiny new pair of blades, for a decent price to boot.

But before anyone could do anything, the front door opened again. "Ma, I'm home!" a voice called out.

The person who stepped in was… a man. A young man, to be exact. He looked about six foot, just shorter than Cameron. He currently wore a suit of light chainmail armor, but was missing a helmet, showing off long, bright orange hair. Even so, it seemed to suit this man all the same. He was slightly muscled, but also slightly chubby, though nothing too dramatic. His eyes were a dirty brownish color, and his face looked very relaxed and calm. On his belt was a heavy looking case of some sort, with an almost foot long handle poking out the top. The only other thing notable about his appearance was a large pendent, hanging around his neck over his armor.

The woman behind the counter saw the young man enter and quickly ran around to hug him. "Oh, my son! You're back so soon!"

"Well, I wanted to say hello again." the man said, before seeing our heroes looking at the sweet display. "Oh! Guests!"

The woman, who had to be this newcomers mother, remembered that she had customers. "Oh! Right!" she said, backing away as quickly as she came. "Please, don't let me interrupt you four!"

The four quickly responded that they didn't mind it at all, and continued browsing. The newcomer looked at the four curiously. They didn't seem familiar at all.

He focused on one person in particular. Cameron, the tall one. He seemed the most out of place person out of the four, and this guy had see a lot of strange people.

He approached him, looking at what Cameron was looking at. Chuckling, he asked, "Interested in our wares, are you?"

Cameron looked over to see the newcomer not that far off, watching him browse. "Oh, well, I'm really just browsing at the moment. Nothing has really caught my attention as of yet."

"Ah. I see." the newcomer said, understanding. "Oh, I'm sorry, where are my manners? My name is Freddy. Freddy Lane." he added, sticking out his hand.

"Cameron. Cameron Wallis." Cameron introduced, shaking his hand quickly. "Pleasure to met you."

"Likewise." Freddy agreed.

 **(I'm assuming 99% of you know who this new OC is, but for the 1% percent that don't, I'll elaborate. This is the OC version of one of my most dedicated readers, freddylane.1.. He asked me if he could be another OC in this story, and after a few days, I agreed. However, I must state now that I am, officially, not accepting anymore OC's to HDN, VC. I'm debating to add one more, but that's it. Anyone that says they want to add their OC I will have to decline, as I'm out of space to put another person in.)**

"Anyway… actually, you know your way around this shop better than I do. Do you have anything that could possibly improve defense, or whatever it's called in this universe?" Cameron asked. "Not, like, a heavy suit of armor or anything, but something small, practical?"

Freddy thought for a few seconds, before snapping his fingers. "I think I have just the thing. Follow me." he said, walking towards the counter.

"Here." Freddy offered, gesturing to the glass counter. "Plenty of VITality-boosting accessories here."

Cameron took a look at the display. There were rings, armlets, necklaces, pendants, the works. "Wow. These all look beautiful." he commented.

"Well thank you." the woman, Freddy's mother, proudly thanked, coming over. "All our goods are, as I said, handmade by our family. Everything here is one of a kind."

"Hmmm…" Cameron hummed, looking around one last time. "How much for the small silver ring there?"

After a bit of bartering back and forth, Cameron eventually got the ring for a decent price. Slipping the ring on the ring finger of his right hand under his new glove, he spoke to the other girls, "You three done looking?"

"Just about." IF agreed, opting out of purchasing the new blades from earlier, for now at least. "Shall we head off?"

"Leaving already?" Freddy's mother asked. "Could I at least offer some tea for the road?"

"Oh no, it's fine, we wouldn't want to intrude…" Cameron started.

"Nonsense, I won't have any of it. Come! I'll have a pot ready before you know it." she said, opening the counter door for the group to follow after.

"Heh. That's Mother for you." Freddy commented as his mother left. "She'll offer tea to just about anyone that walks through the door. Guess she wants to meet all kinds of people."

Freddy followed after his mother, but not before turning back to say, "I'd follow if I were you. Most everyone that stayed for tea has had something good happen."

As the strange young man left, the four looked at each other. "Should we?" Cameron asked.

"Well… tea doesn't sound that bad right now." Compa said.

"And to be fair, that cafe is on the other side of the dungeon, so…" IF added thoughtfully. "I guess we can have a little bit."

The four nodded, and started to head behind the counter. "When we get there, can I ask if they have pudding?" Neptune asked, to which she was met with a "No." from Cameron and IF simultaneously.

The back of the shop was actually a small house. Guess the Lane family lived behind their own shop. The group found Freddy and his mother in the small kitchen towards the back, which could just house all of them comfortably. But only just.

"Oh thank you for granting an old woman her request." Freddy's mother said, putting the kettle on. "It's so nice to have company every now and then."

"With all due respect, ma'am, you can't be THAT old. You still look like you have your youth with you." Cameron argued.

Freddy's mother blushed, muttered a hasty, "Thank you, young man." just loud enough for him to hear it, and then turned back to the kettle. Freddy glanced over and flashed Cameron a thumbs up.

"Keep doing that." he said, his voice hushed so his mother wouldn't hear. "She might even give you a store discount."

Neptune, Compa, and IF watched this exchange curiously. "Sooo… what's your story?" Neptune asked.

"Neptune…" IF sighed. "That's rude to just ask that off the bat."

"I don't mind it." Freddy replied, not missing a beat. "Allow me to introduce myself again. My name is Freddy Lane. I'm a rookie adventurer, trying to help my city in anyway I can."

"So, you work for the Guild?" IF asked.

"Them and anyone else if the pay is enough." Freddy responded, leaning back. "After all, someone has to take care of pesky monsters that nest on the trade routes."

"And we all very much appreciate that, my son." Freddy's mother chimed in, pulling the shouting kettle off the stove. "Without you and others like you, I don't know how this city would get our trade."

Freddy nodded. "But enough about me. Who are you four?"

"Oh, right." Neptune said. "I'm Neptune, that's Compa, there's IF, and the giant one is-"

"Cameron. Yes, I spoke with him before." Freddy interrupted. "In fact, his impressive stature is one of the reasons he caught my eye in the first place."

At that point, Freddy's mother came over, holding several cups of tea. "I hope you enjoy it!" she said happily.

The group took a slow sip. It was still very hot, but other than that, it was pretty good. "What kind of tea is this?" Compa asked.

"My own recipe." Freddy's mother replied. "A twist on the classic Earl Grey, using my own secret ingredient."

"Well, this is great tea." Compa politely thanked, sipping some more.

"I agree." IF added.

"Eh, I'm not really a tea person if I'm honest." Neptune admitted. "But this isn't half bad."

"Thank you for the compliment nonetheless." Freddy's mother thanked herself.

Freddy stood up. "Now, Mother, can I speak with you and her for a minute?"

He and his mother stood up, and exited the room, presumably heading upstairs from the sound of it, leaving the others to talk quietly.

"He seems nice." Compa said.

"As does his mother." Cameron added.

"Still, we should be careful." IF warned. "Like it or not, we are still in Leanbox, and have no idea where anything is. Besides, the tea is good, but I don't want to fill up before we get to the cafe."

"I agree with you on that. When they return, shall we make our leave?" Cameron asked, and was met with three matching nods.

A minute or so later, and Freddy and his mother returned to the kitchen. "Thank you both so much for sharing some tea with us, but we really need to get going now." Cameron said, standing.

"Leaving so soon?" Freddy asked.

"Sorry, but we have our own matters to attend to." IF tagged on. "It was nice to met you two."

"Well… I suppose it cannot be helped." Freddy's mother responded sadly. "But do be careful you four. If you ever need something, or simply want to chat, my doors are open."

"Thank you." Compa said politely.

"Where are you all going, anyway?" Freddy asked.

"We're going to the neighboring town near here to sightsee." Cameron explained quickly. "We aren't from around here, you see."

"Oh, you're going there?" Freddy asked, suddenly standing a bit straighter. "It just so happens that I'm going to that town as well. I have a bit of a meeting with someone there. Would it be a bother if I tagged along with you four?"

After a few quick looks between the group, no one could think of any objections. After all, he and his mother had treated them. Might as well do something they want. And to be fair, Freddy was from around here after all. He might know his way around the towns and such.

"Be our guest." Cameron said, speaking for the group.

"Perfect." Freddy replied, grinning.

 _Freddy Lane has joined the party!_

"You all take care!" Freddy's mother said in goodbye, waving to them as the group left the door. "Goodbye my son!"

"I'll be back before you know it!" Freddy called back, fixing the necklace of the pendant around his neck.

As the group left the city, they couldn't help but converse with the new member, Freddy. "Soo… how long you been adventuring for?" Cameron asked.

"A year or so by now." Freddy answered. "Hard to believe that when I started, I was only fourteen."

"Wait… so you're only fifteen as of now?" IF asked.

"Well, technically fifteen and a half as of now, but who count's halves?" Freddy responded.

"I'm surprised." Cameron replied. "I mean, you could've fooled me with being older."

"What, because I talked like a fancy person?" Freddy asked, grinning. "That's only when I'm around my mother. All other times, I'm that chill guy next door that invites you to play video games and eat snacks all day."

"I'm liking this guy a lot more." Neptune commented.

"But, anyway, how about you four? What's your stories?" Freddy asked.

"Well… I'm Neptune, like I said." Neptune reintroduced. "I, uh… may have lost my memory."

"Ah." Freddy said, instantly understanding. "The classic amnesia trope. Works every time."

"Yeah, same here." Cameron said. "I've got no idea who I am either, aside from my name, obviously."

"I'm Compa, but you knew that." Compa said politely. "I'm the nurse in this group. If you're hurt, leave it to me!"

"IF. Before I met these guys, I was working for the Guild over in Planeptune." IF explained.

"So that means you guys are from that Land then?" Freddy asked.

"If you're thinking we're here on some sort of crusade for Planeptune, then relax. We're here on… business." Cameron quickly interjected.

"Oh, I wasn't worried about that." Freddy said, holding his hands up slightly. "I was thinking that, you know, isn't that risky? To go to another Land that you know nothing about?"

"Of course it is. Wouldn't be fun otherwise!" Neptune responded happily, earning a stare from Freddy.

"*sigh* Get used to that. She'll do that over a hundred times every chapter, and nothing we say can ever get her to stop." Cameron explained, shaking his head.

"Duly noted." Freddy said quietly.

 _A few minutes later…_

Finally, the group had made it to the dungeon they needed to cross. Of course, a minute after they entered, some of the monsters there decided to start a fight.

Fortunately, the group was ready for this. Before they had made it to the dungeon, Cameron had said that he wanted to see what Freddy could do. So, they made the choice to switch out IF for Freddy just before they made it.

Once the battle started, Neptune and Cameron had their turns, and then Freddy was up. He carefully thought about his next move for a minute, then nodded to himself.

"I think that'll work." he settled, before grabbing ahold of the long handle sticking out of his weird case thing hanging off his belt.

He pulled it up, and suddenly, out slid a large metal sword. What's more, the case suddenly popped off, which he quickly caught as it expanded outward into a large shield, with an ornate symbol of some sort.

He quickly ran forward, and slammed his shield into the monster as hard as he could. Quickly, he followed up with a lightning fast set of three or four jabs, quickly knocking the monsters health to zero.

Cameron stared at Freddy for a minute. "What level did you say you were again?"

Freddy grinned. "Never said what my level was, but I'll tell you later. Now, let's finish the rest of the monsters, before it drags on."

 _A minute or so later…_

Neptune, Compa, and IF were walking further ahead now, with Cameron and Freddy hanging to the back for now.

Apparently, even though he'd been adventuring for about a year or so, Freddy was still level 23, on the verge of leveling up soon. When questioned about that, Freddy simply replied, "Hey, you can't rush anything. And good jobs don't come around all that often, so that might be a factor."

"Still… I've been doing stuff for the Guild and whatnot for, maybe a week or two now? And yet I'm just barely behind you."

"Can't rush perfection." came Freddy's reply, putting his sword, which he had been looking at for dents or scratches, and shield into it's neat little carry-case mode.

Cameron watched that, and couldn't hold back another question. "Wouldn't that get annoying after a while? I mean, it doesn't look like the sword or shield lost any weight or anything…"

"Well, yeah, they still weigh exactly the same, but I've grown used to it." Freddy said. "If you can't carry your weapon, what good does it do for you? I'm surprised it still works as well as it does. Used to be a weapon my grandfather used, you know."

"Why do I get the feeling that's some sort of reference to a tall, blonde haired, socially awkward teen?" Cameron asked aloud.

"Meh. Probably is. At least I know my way around it." Freddy replied, shrugging.

Cameron was quiet now. He was wondering what to think of this strange, yet likeable, young man. Surely there was more to him than met the eye, but… asking now would be like trying to decode a safe from scratch. Nearly impossible to do. Besides, he would probably leave just like Haywood did once they reach the neighboring town.

Anyway, time passed by rather quickly this time. Either it was due to the recent amount of grinding the party, minus Freddy obviously, had done, or something else, but the group was able to get almost to the end of the dungeon before anyone really felt tired.

Even so, it wasn't long before Neptune had to say something. "Whew… we've been walking for a while. Aren't we there yet?" she asked.

"I'm a bit tired as well. Can we take just a teeny tiny break?" Compa asked.

"Well…" Cameron responded, pulling out the map Tekken had given him. "According to the map, we should be close."

"Eh, I guess we can. But only a short one." IF agreed. "After all, we're almost to that cafe I suggested.

"Ooh, is it that one next to the square? I love their homemade lemon squares." Freddy replied enthusiastically. "Perhaps I'll have to join you before I go to my meeting."

But just then, just as the group was beginning to rest, a person approached. "You folks there. Hello. Can I speak with you for a moment?" the person asked.

Neptune instantly wasn't having it. "You hitting on us? No can do, though. I already have over one gajillion fans." she said, standing up a bit straighter. "The people who see me are pure in heart, so I don't want to let them down."

"Um… no. I'm not trying to hit on you folks. I just want to talk." the person said, a bit awkwardly.

'Better not be.' Cameron said in his mind.

"Talk? Talk what?" Compa asked.

"Do you folks believe in Overlord Momus?" the person asked.

The group, Freddy included, were a tad confused. "Mammary?" Neptune asked, prompting the usual facepalm from Cameron.

"No, Momus." the person corrected quickly.

"Overlord Mammary? Never heard of it before… have you, Compa?" IF said, turning.

"Um… Momus. M-O-M-U-S." the person spelled out.

"I've never heard of Overload Mustard before, either." Compa asked. "You heard anything Cameron?"

"Can't say I've heard of an Overboard Master." Cameron responded, trying very hard not to break into a round of laughter. He couldn't tell if they were joking or not, but regardless, he was gonna keep this joke up.

"I don't know where to start…" the person stated in a confused manner, shaking his head. "That's M-O-M-U-S. And it's 'Overlord.'"

"...anyways, what does Mr. Overlord talker person want with us?" Compa asked.

"I am a messenger of Momus and I'm here to spread the word of the Overlord." the person explained. "We want everyone to know the joy of coming to know Overlord Momus."

"Well, you may want to stop already." IF started quickly. "We're not interested."

"Yes. I believe in Lady Purple Heart." Compa stated proudly.

"And I will always believe in Lady Green Heart." Freddy stated just as proudly.

Compa glanced over at Neptune. "Speaking of… how about you, Nep-Nep?"

"Me? I only believe in myself." Nep replied. Then she continued, "...just joking! I must have sounded narcissistic there a bit!"

Everyone, messenger included, stared at Neptune for a minute, before Nep started to get nervous. "Oy? Did I do it again…?" she asked.

"Well, just hear me out a bit, okay?" the messenger persisted. "Overlord worship is actually really fun."

"Um, no offense, but I'm pretty sure the words 'Overlord worship' and 'fun', were never meant to be in the same sentence." Cameron said his thoughts aloud.

"I thought I already said we're not interested…" IF grumbled loudly.

"Oh! Here! Let me give you this! A special 'Overlord Momus Limited Set!'" the messenger tried, pulling out a bunch of random things from out of nowhere.

"You don't give up, do you?" IF asked.

"Oh come now. Just take it, you'll love it!" the Momus messenger responded enthusiastically. "See, here's a mug with the Overlord's logo. Coffee tastes like love in it! This laser die-cut cell image is hand-numbered as the 666th! Also included is a set of [Overlord trading cards] made just for this set! The illustrations are also in this art book that's included! Oh, and what's a set without an Overlord BGM CD? Perfect when you want to have an ambient background to your gaming! Of course, it was recorded to provide maximum excitement and tension! A special disc to make you feel like you're near our Overlord! Also, buy more of our Overlord items at our online store to get Overlord stamps! Collect enough stamps and you get this life-sized Overlord hugging pillow! And what's more-"

"HOLD IT!" Neptune shouted, finally shutting the messenger up for a minute. "You're using my text space! I'm gonna let the Author know!"

 _(THANK YOU, story Neptune. That was getting ridiculous.)_

"Oh, come now. I only appear here in the story. Let me go and this pin is yours." the messenger pleaded.

"Pins and all this other stuff is just junk to us. Take it all back." IF responded angrily, holding out her set of Momus junk.

"My grandpa taught me nothing is free, so you can take them back." Compa added, holding her set out.

"I already have enough junk. I don't need more of it." Freddy agreed, adding his set to the growing reject pile.

"I promise, no strings attached. You can have them. Well, I have to go now. Take care!" the messenger replied, and with that, he left.

Cameron groaned and dropped his stuff onto the ground. He probably broke something, but that was the least of his worries. "...what are we supposed to do with this junk now?"

"We can't just leave it all here, so I guess we have to take them with us." Compa replied, sighing.

IF sighed as well, saying, "Why do we always get the strange ones? Hm? Nep, what are you doing?"

Neptune was on the ground, digging through her set of stuff. "Well, since we're resting, I wanted to see what else was in here." she replied honestly. "Oh hey, here's that BGM CD he was promoting… what a minute…"

"What's wrong Nep-Nep?" Compa asked.

"Doesn't this BGM CD disc look oddly like that monster disc thingy?" Neptune asked, holding the disc out.

"What?!" IF asked, disbelieving. "Hand it over, Nep."

"Think it's a bit too late for that!" Cameron stated loudly, just as the disc in Nep's hand suddenly started to shine.

"Aaaaaaaaah… it's… starting to shine!" Neptune called out, dropping the disc.

"Wait, what's happening?" Freddy asked, pulling out his own disc, which was starting to glow.

"The ones in mine and Iffy's set are starting to shine too!" Compa yelled.

"Not having it!" Cameron yelled, slicing his set, and his disc, in half. Thankfully, nothing came out of his, and it stopped shining, but the same could not be said for the rest.

"That guy! He tricked us!" IF angrily yelled.

Freddy finally ran over, dropping his disc on the ground. "What's going on?!" he asked again.

"You're about to find out…" Cameron stated, cocking his arm cannon.

With a loud shriek, four monsters spawned out of the four discs, each looking ready for a fight. Without thinking, Compa yelled out, "It's transformation time, Nep-Nep!"

"Aye aye, sir!" Neptune said with a salute, also without thinking. In a bright flash, there stood Purple Heart in all her glory. "Let's hurry and get rid of them and report to the Basilicom. It would be a disaster if these were placed in the city."

Freddy was beyond lost at this point. "Will someone please explain what is going on?!"

"Argh! Details later!" Cameron yelled. "First, monsters, then answers!"

As if to punctuate that statement, the monsters once again shrieked, and then charged forward to meet our heroes. Like it or not, answers would have to wait.

 _Several minutes later…_

With one last defeated call, the last of the monsters fell. Purple Heart put away her sword and wiped her brow, saying, "That took a little longer than expected…"

IF was on top of things. "Let's break these before more come out." she said, grabbing all the Enemy Discs and stacking them up.

 _*snap*_

"Ah…!" Purple Heart said just as IF broke the discs in half.

"Hm? What's the matter?" IF asked.

"My, ah, original form wanted to break these, so…" Purple Heart reminded IF softly.

"Oh, that's right. I completely forgot." IF muttered.

"Wasn't that back when we were trapped in that plant at Lastation?" Compa asked.

"Something like that." Cameron agreed.

"Well, I'll let you break them next time, assuming I don't forget again." IF said, shrugging.

"Can I finally get some answers now?" Freddy said, looking beyond confused still.

"*sigh*... welp, guess we'd better fess up." Cameron sighed. "Least we can do."

The others agreed. "Fess up… what?" Freddy asked.

"You want the long version, or the short version?" Cameron asked.

"Um… short?"

"Neptune is the goddess of Planeptune."

Freddy blinked as though Cameron had just punched him. "Long version please."

"Neptune and I were rescued by Compa, and Neptune eventually realized she could transform, though we didn't fully understand what that meant at the time. Once we met and joined forces with IF, we traveled to Lastation in order to find one of the four missing pieces to restore Neptune's memory, as well as mine. We realized while we are there that Neptune is in fact the goddess of Planeptune, and well, now we're here." Cameron summed up.

Freddy blinked even harder. "That's… quite the story."

"Yeah, well, so far it fits in seventeen chapters, but that's besides the point." Cameron agreed. Glancing back, he asked, "You girls think I forgot anything?"

"Enemy Discs?" IF suggested.

"Oh yeah. While we were still at Planeptune, we found that monsters are being generated due to discs like the ones IF just snapped in half. They're apparently scattered all over, and some people have them, but we have no idea where or how they get made, or who started making them, or anything." Cameron summarized.

"...huh." Freddy said, slightly stunned. "So… you're the goddess?" he spoke to Purple Heart.

"Correct." she replied. "I hope you understand why we did not tell you before. But I can assure you, I did not come to cause trouble to the Lady."

"...strangely, I believe you." Freddy admitted.

"Wait, you do?" Compa asked.

"I'm surprised myself, but… somehow, I don't think you'd want to hurt our Lady." Freddy said.

"Well, that's-" Purple Heart started.

"BUT!" Freddy said suddenly, silencing her. "That doesn't mean I fully trust you. Therefore, I will ask that I stay with you when you do meet the Lady. Just so that I know I was right."

"That is more than fair." Purple Heart instantly agreed. "We accept."

"And, um… on a more personal note, I've actually never met the Lady myself, so I, ah… wish to see my Lady." Freddy confessed, in an almost husky whisper.

"I guess I can see where you come from…" Cameron agreed lightly. "Good to actually know who you support, right?"

"Exactly." Freddy nodded. "Now, what's our next course of action?"

"For now? Heading back to the Basilicom." IF said. "I think they'd better hear about this 'Overlord' thing before it gets out of hand."

"I'll give my people a call." Freddy added. "This is way more important now."

With that, the group proceeded to head on forward, heading to the exit. But if they had looked a bit harder…

They would've seen the figures lurking further back, hiding behind the bushes.

"Was that okay?" a figure asked. It was that messenger person from before.

"Yes." another figure spoke. None other than Conversation. "Overlord Momus should be pleased."

"Th-then, may I get a stamp on my stamp card, as promised?!" the messenger asked giddily.

"Yes. There you go… does that look good?" Conversation asked, almost like she was speaking to a child.

Fortunately, the messenger didn't care. "Yes! Now my stamp card is complete!"

"Now, I believe this plush, ultra-soft Overlord hugging pillow is due." Conversation said, handing over the messengers prize.

"Yes! Thank you!" the messenger joyously exclaimed, instantly hugging the hug pillow. "Lady Conversation, where will you go now?"

"I will head back to the Leanbox Basilicom." Conversation mused. "Now I have proof that Neptune summoned monsters… heh…"

With that, Conversation left, leaving the messenger behind.

This plan was going well. All that was left was to finish the job. And Neptune will be out of her hair…

Forever.

… **huh.**

 _(Something wrong?)_

 **Yeah. I've got nothing witty to say here.**

 _(Nothing?)_

 **Nope. You got anything?**

 _(I wish. Nowa?)_

(I thought I told you, my name isn't Nowa! It's Noire!)

 _(Well, don't you have anything to say to our readers at least?)_

(Hmm… no, not really. Guess writing two chapters back to back will do that to you.)

 **You make it sound like you were helping. All you two really did was slack off around my house, and every now and then look over at my work.**

 _(Hey, I left comments! The readers love those!)_

 **I have no doubt they do, but still, if you're gonna be here with me, then you can at least help out. That or start paying rent.**

(Hey, at least I'm mature and don't treat your things like junk.)

 **This is coming from the girl who wanted to cosplay as someone on Halloween.**

(I-I thought you said that was our little secret! Now it's out there on the Internet!)

 _(Not like it was really that hard to guess, Noire…)_

 ***sigh***

 **Anyway readers, thank you for reading the new chapter. What'd ya think of the back to back? Nice change of pace, no? Course, that kind of thing won't happen very often, but… hey, at least you get a lot to read for a while, until I disappear for a month writing something else.**

 _(I would say that's harsh, but it's kinda true…)_

 **Remember, stay on the lookout very soon. Part three of this chapter uploading marathon will come out very soon.**

 **As always, if you guys have any questions for me, let me know. PM me with your question and I'll do my best to answer. This is ButterHunter, and I'll see you later. Stay awesome.**


	18. Emails and Dinner, with a side of Poison

**Welcome, dear readers, to the final part of our Neptune Chapter Bonanza, as I'm now calling it! Let's end it with a bang!**

Chapter 18: Emails and Dinner, with a side of Poison

"...this may be worse than I expected."

The group were back in the heart of Leanbox, making their way to Basilicom. IF had been looking at her phone for quite some time now, and something was definitely up.

"Hm?" Cameron asked, looking over at IF. "What's worse?"

"I've been researching, and it looks like Overlord worship is spreading." IF explained, tucking her phone away.

"But I've never heard of his Mr. Overlord person before." Compa responded, thinking.

"Me neither." Freddy chimed in.

"Neither have I. Nep… oh, that's right, how would you or Cameron know?" IF guessed, correcting herself.

Neptune looked a little insulted. "Now, you won't know if you don't ask, right?"

"Wait, so you DO know something about this?" IF asked, surprised and confused.

"Of course not." Neptune said plainly.

"My bad for expecting something from you…" IF said, shaking her head in a defeated sort of way.

"Come on. The Basilicom isn't that far." Freddy spoke up, walking further ahead. The rest of the party followed after him.

 _Meanwhile, in the Leanbox Basilicom…_

"...this picture here is proof."

Conversation was holding a picture out to Yvoire, who looked stunned.

"It… it can't be!" he exclaimed, taking the picture. "Such young people as messengers of Momus…"

 _(Surely he remembers there's such a thing as changing photos, right?)_

"Now do you believe me?" Conversation asked firmly.

"You gave me no choice." Yvoire said, though almost reluctantly.

 _(... seriously? Seriously dude?)_

"Very well. Then let me give you this…" Conversation said, pulling out something from the depths of her robes.

"What's this? A vial?"

"Of poison."

"P-poison?!"

"Yes… you should use this, to poison and kill Neptune." Conversation stated. "Neptune has tainted the four others that you see in this photo, and who knows how many more. She must not go unpunished."

"Why not just capture her and report back to our Ladies?" Yvoire suggested. The idea of purposely giving poison to someone seemed… well, bad, even for what he was doing it for.

"Overlord worship has disturbed the goddesses greatly, but…" Conversation started. "They are busy as is. Notifying details will only burden them more."

"True…" Yvoire agreed slowly. "Our Lady has been quite worried over something of recent."

"If that is so, do you not want to reduce your Lady's load?" Conversation asked firmly.

"..."

…

Conversation soon left, leaving the vial behind. Yvoire knew he had to do something.

If not for him… for his Lady.

 _Some time later…_

"Yahoo~!" Neptune yelled out as the group burst through the doors of the Basilicom. "Hey, Mr. Evil-blahblah, we're back!"

"We're here again!" Compa called out loudly.

"My, my, you folks are…" Yvoire started, but stopped. "Is there anything urgent you need?"

"Urgent? You bet. We met someone calling himself a messenger of Momus." IF instatly responded.

"What?!"

"We were invited to join them, and we got discs that make monsters." Compa summed up.

"What she means is that we were invited, but we declined." Cameron backed up. "And we got… these things. One thing among them was a monster generator."

"What?! Discs, that make monsters?!" Yvoire responded, surprised. "Please, explain further."

"Of course." IF agreed. "Let me first explain the source of all these monsters appearing."

Several minutes passed, with IF, and some support from the others, telling Yvoire about how she and the rest of the gang found the discs in the first place, and explaining in detail about the discs they had just received, and how they suddenly spawned monsters on top of them.

Once she finally had finished speaking, Yvoire almost looked like he needed to sit down. This was really big news. "To expect a simple disc being of such danger…"

"Everyone will be in danger if they're spread across the city. Can you help?" IF asked.

"Yes, we can't have something like Lastation happening here." Yvoire replied quietly, thinking.

"Hm? Lastation?" Compa asked. They never said anything about Lastation.

"I will immediately inform Lady Green Heart." Yvoire said with authority. "And, as appreciation, I would like to invite you all to dinner tonight."

Neptune looked ecstatic. "Mr. Evilitchi, you're the best! Can we stuff our faces with food?!"

"Mr. Evilitchi?!" Yvoire asked loudly.

Freddy looked over to Cameron. "Evilitchi?"

Cameron sighed quietly. "I don't know. Don't ask."

"Oh! And will the Goddess come to dinner, too?" Neptune tagged on.

Yvoire, still not fully over what Nep had just called him this time, replied, "Our Lady is very busy, so I cannot assure you of that, but she may attend."

IF looked surprised at this news. "Really?!"

"I hope we meet the Lady. Right, Iffy?" Compa asked.

"I'm interested in seeing the Lady myself." Cameron mused.

"Well, I need to prepare, so come back later when the sun goes down." Yvoire stated, bowing respectfully.

"Okay, let's just spend some time in the city then." IF spoke to the rest of the group.

"I can give you a guided tour if you want. I know this city like the back of my hand." Freddy responded.

"If we have time, I want to go and reserve a place to stay tonight." Compa said. "Didn't we pass by a hotel on the way here?"

But before the group could leave, suddenly Yvoire called out, "I forgot. May I ask for Miss IF to stay?"

"Me?" IF asked, surprised.

"Yes. There is something I need to discuss…" Yvoire nodded, motioning for IF to follow him into another room.

IF shot a glance at the rest of her friends, but started heading over to where Yvoire went off to.

Cameron didn't like this. He didn't like this at all. "Something screwy is going on here…" he said very quietly.

"You say something?" Neptune asked.

"No." Cameron denied quickly. He glanced back to the room, where IF was alone with Yvoire. Something didn't seem right here…

"Hey… you all go on ahead. I'll wait for IF." Cameron stated, heading to the door without waiting for a response.

Without much of a choice, the rest of the group filled out, hopefully going to the closest hotel.

Cameron, on the other hand, headed for the door, and cracked it open slightly. He was just in time to hear a conversation in progress…

 _(Quick! Get a cardboard box! That'll help you blend in AND be stealthy!)_

"...you wanted to talk about?" IF asked.

"Before we go further, I would like to confirm one thing." Yvoire began. "Despite your faith in our Lady, you are not from here, are you?"

IF got suspicious. "What's it to you?" she asked slowly.

"In fact, you're not associated to any of the Lands. Correct?" Yvoire asked.

"You checked on me, didn't you…?" IF asked, putting the pieces together.

"I am sorry for my conduct here, but you are correct." Yvoire agreed softly.

'Oh no… this isn't good.' Cameron thought. 'But I can't show myself now. I have to wait…'

"...now that I think about it…" IF started slowly. "I recall a rumor about here. That the elder of Leanbox Basilicom only accepts local citizens. And I suppose that must be you. What is your plan? Expelling me?"

'Fat chance that'll happen.' Cameron thought fiercely.

"That would be my normal approach, but I will thank fate for our meeting." Yvoire replied.

"...I'm not getting you." IF said, a tad confused.

"I need you to kill Neptune." Yvoire requested.

The room was quiet for the count of ten. Cameron was in utter shock. 'He… he wants Neptune… KILLED?!' he thought, slinking further behind the door, his face paling.

"Wha-?! Why would Lady Green Heart's Basilicom want Nep killed?!" IF shouted ludicrously.

"That one you call Nep brings a bad omen to our Lady and Gamindustri." Yvoire explained. "Sooner or later, our Lady would take action, but I prefer not to taint her."

"So you want me to dirty my hands, then?" IF summed up angrily.

"Should you succeed," Yvoire said, looking seriously at IF, "You will be greeted at a citizen of Leanbox."

"Me?" IF repeated, half shocked. "A Leanbox citizen?"

"Yes." Yvoire answered quietly. "I can offer you citizenship as a reward for your work."

'IF, don't you dare fall into this trap…' Cameron thought desperately.

"Sure, I wouldn't mind having a place to settle, but to kill Nep…?!" IF said, the idea… well, insane.

"That is very well why you will need this." Yvoire replied, pulling out the vial. "This poison will only work on the vile, and those pure will not be affected."

"That sounds way too ideal for being a poison…" IF muttered slowly, not buying it.

"If you truly believe that she is pure, you can have her drink this without fear." Yvoire insisted, forcing the small vial into IF's hand.

"And if I refuse?" IF asked threateningly, looking like she might just throw the vial on the ground.

"Let's just say we will use our forces to rid us of anything 'suspicious.'" Yvoire answered, a threatening undertone lingering in his voice. "Goodbye, Miss IF."

With that, Yvoire left through another door that lead deeper into the building. IF was looking at the vial that Yvoire forced into her hand.

"What a geezer. He didn't really give me much of a choice back there…" IF muttered quietly.

Cameron decided now it was safe. He pushed open the door and made his way to IF, saying, "IF?"

IF jumped, having not seen him watching her. "Cameron? I thought you left to go to hotel?"

"I was, but I was too worried." Cameron replied, looking seriously at IF. "Please tell me you aren't considering what he said."

"Wait, you saw that?!" IF exclaimed, looking surprised.

"I saw all that I needed to know." Cameron replied. "Now, please say you're just gonna throw that stuff away and forget what Yvoire said."

IF looked down at the ground.

"IF…" Cameron warned, a light undertone audible in his voice.

"I… I don't know." IF replied.

"Come on. Are you REALLY just gonna toss your friends under the bus like that, just to get somewhere to live? We've been together for so long now, but you'll just pull the plug on it all?" Cameron asked.

IF was quiet. She started walking through the halls of the Basilicom, Cameron right behind her.

"Neptune is your friend. Even if she teases you, you're still friends. You can't deny that in any way." Cameron persisted.

 _(And hey, my teases are always out of love!... Mostly. Like, 99% of the time.)_

"I… I know." IF agreed, looking at the vial again. "...the contents are all purple and gooey and bubbly. This has got to be lethal…"

IF sighed, then held it out to Cameron. "Get this stuff away from me… I need to focus on something else."

Cameron took it and shoved it into his bag, with the intent of throwing away at the first opportunity.

IF sighed again, before realizing something. "Huh? Did… did we wander or something?"

This part of the Basilicom didn't look familiar. "No… I'm pretty sure… this is it." Cameron hesitantly responded, pointing to a door not that far away that seemed to double back to where the exit was.

"Coming through…" IF called out, as she slowly opened the door.

The first thing that Cameron noticed as they walked in was that this definitely wasn't the exit, and almost turned back. But the room they had walked in surprised him enough to make him look around.

There seemed to be a million small figurines scattered all over the place, on shelves or in cases or the like, even some on the small coffee table. Posters of various animes plastered the walls. But tucked away in the corner, a huge mess of monitors dominated the corner, with a large, comfy looking set of headphones hanging on the back of a large, padded chair.

Suddenly, a noise brought attention to another corner of the room, to where a large bed was. Someone was in said bed, and by the looks of it, was waking up.

"It's so bright…" the person, another woman, in the bed commented. "Who are you? Bothering me when I was nice and cozy here."

Cameron couldn't see much of this woman, but she had long, curled hair, blonde in color, and clear, sad blue eyes. "Oh, our bad." he apologized.

"Yeah, sorry. We'll be out now…" IF chimed in, before something clicked. "Wait a minute…"

Apparently something slammed together in her mind, because a second later, IF nearly fell over. "Whaaaaat?! L-L-Lady Green Heart?!"

"Wait, what?!" Cameron shouted, double taking at the half awake woman.

"Oh, my. A girl and a boy's voices?" the woman wondered aloud, pushing the covers off her and standing up.

Her outfit consisted of an emerald green dress with gold markings, large gloves that looked a little loose, and a big peachish orange bow on the top of her skirt. Around her neck was a big white collar with green lining on the bottom, and a very thin white cloth connecting it to her dress. On the center of this, a gold circular piece with a small blue gem and a tiny red ribbon decorated it.

But none of this is what caught Cameron's eyes. What did, was this woman's huge chest. It was easily the biggest pair of breasts that Cameron had seen in his life, (which may or may not be true due to his memory loss, but he was pretty sure.). In the words of a perverted Youtuber, "Those fucking things are bigger than her god-damn head!"

 _(I called it! I knew you were gonna use that quote, I just knew it! Noire owes me five bucks, haha!)_

"My, oh, my! I can't believe such a cute pair came to visit me!" Lady Green Heart exclaimed happily, stopping just in front of the two, a bright, happy smile on her face.

IF and Cameron both blushed at this comment, moreso IF. "Huh? Me? C-cute?!" she asked, her cheeks reddening by the minute.

"What are your names?" Lady Green Heart asked politely.

"Y-yes!" IF started, trying, and failing, to compose herself. "M-my name is I-IF!"

"I-I'm… Cameron." Cameron added. He was stuttering because he didn't think that he'd just right into the goddess like this, or at least, not without Neptune and the others. That and the boobs.

 **(I mean, if I'm being honest, he's kinda innocent here. You can't put a steak in front of a dog and tell it not to drool.)**

"IF, was is?" the Lady asked in confirmation. "Such a cute name. It matches you very well. And Cameron, correct? Quite the handsome name, if I may say so."

IF's eyes were filled with stars. "L-Lady Green Heart called my name 'cute'..." she whispered to herself, almost dizzy with the excitement of meeting her goddess.

Cameron's blushed increased further at the complement. "O-oh… thank you, Lady Green Heart."

"My, and you're blushed faces are just as cute, too." the Lady commented, gently tapping both visitors on the noses, causing the blushing to increase even further. "Well, since you both came all this way, why don't we talk for a bit, shall we?"

"W-with m-me?! Err, us?!" IF exclaimed, surprised.

"Yes. You see, I only have the elder men here to speak with, so I am a bit bored." the Lady explained.

"That's true…" IF agreed softly, for once regaining herself enough to seem slightly in control. "I hardly see females working at the Basilicom."

As the words left IF's mouth, the Lady yawned gently. She seemed really tired for someone who just woke up. "Um… my Lady, you look sleepy. Perhaps we should leave now so that you can rest properly…" Cameron offered.

"Oh, do not worry. I just woke up after a long night of playing games." the Lady explained, stretching gently to hopefully wake herself up. "I was sleeping to get some time in before the next online mission."

IF seemed surprised. "...games? Does my Lady play video games?"

"Why, yes." the Lady agreed happily. "I enjoy games, anime, manga, and any sub-cultural pastimes."

Cameron was wide eyed again. "That one sentence just became an instant turn-on for just about everyone reading this story!" he whispered to IF. "This is a gamer/otaku's dream come fucking true!"

IF was sweating nervously. "Th-then that web page that was hidden in Lady Green Heart's blog…?" she wondered aloud.

Lady Green Heart seemed surprised. "My! Did you both find my hidden page?" she asked.

"Y-yes…" IF answered honestly, albeit slowly.

"Moreso she found it first and showed me, but yeah." Cameron added.

The Lady looked ecstatic. "I'm so happy! Oh, now we MUST become friends. Yes, let's be friends!"

What little composure IF had managed to gather before was now thrown out the window for a second time, as she stammered, "F-f-f-f-friends?! M-m-me, friends with my L-Lady?!"

The Lady closed her eyes gently. "...I suppose such a close relationship with a goddess is intimidating." she responded, sounding almost… disappointed.

"NO! Nononononono!" IF responded rapidly. "On the contrary, I am truly honored!"

"A-as am I!" Cameron tagged on, trying to get at least a bit more into this exchange.

The Lady instantly looked much happier. "Very well. Then we are now friends, Iffy and Cammy."

"I-I-I-Iffy…?!" IF asked slowly, nervous.

"Cammy?" Cameron asked, confused.

"Well, as friends, nicknames are needed." the Lady explained. "You can call me 'Vert.'"

"I-is that your true name, Lady Green Heart?" IF asked slowly.

"Cammy?" Cameron asked again, still not over what the Lady had said.

"Yes. Oh, but do feel free to call me anything, like Verty or Ver-Ver." Lady Vert responded politely.

"Iffy… V-Ver-Ver…" IF managed to get out, hearts literally flying off her body. That was, of course, until she passed out, taking both Cameron and Vert off guard.

"I-Iffy?!" Vert, startled, asked as Cameron knelt down to check her pulse.

"She's fine." Cameron said after a moment. "My guess is that she was so overjoyed that she simply had to faint, or she'd literally explode."

Vert quickly helped him hoist IF into his arms, and carried her over to the bed Vert had just gotten out of. "I don't think she'll stay like that long." Cameron guessed. "With any luck, she'll be back up before we know it."

"Well… that's a relief." Lady Vert said, brushing some bangs out of her eyes.

"But while we wait… was 'Cammy' seriously the best you could think of?" Cameron asked one more time.

Vert simply shrugged and smiled. "It suits you."

Cameron sighed. This was gonna be a long visit…

 _A few minutes later…_

IF made a full recovery shortly after, and now the three were sipping tea on Vert's couch while the Lady herself sat across from them at a small armchair.

IF, once she took a small sip of tea, apologized, "I'm sorry. I swooned, and lost myself there…"

"My, don't let me strain you like that." Vert said softly, placing her teacup on her saucer. "I personally am very happy I got to speak so much with you, Iffy and Cameron."

"I'm happy as well, Lady Green Heart." IF agreed honestly, the biggest smile on her face.

"Same for me." Cameron jumped in, a grin of his on as well.

"My, you were both quite nervous a while ago, but it looks like you both got used to me." Vert commented.

"I'm surprised, myself, too." IF admitted, with Cameron nodding along with IF to show he agreed. "Still, I am a bit nervous yet."

"Oh now, we're friends, so no need to be nervous anymore." Vert brushed off.

"I'll… no, we'll try our best." IF spoke for her and Cameron.

"Oh, that's right! I forgot to exchange emails with you." Vert realized, pulling a piece of paper and a pen from seemingly nowhere.

"Really?! With me?! Is that okay?" IF asked, surprised.

"Of course, we're friends. Exchanging email between friends is quite normal, is it not?" Vert asked.

A minute later, and IF's phone now had ' _Lady Vert's Email'_ written in the contacts of her phone. "Well, now we're email friends, too." Vert said happily. She turned to Cameron. "Do you have a email?"

"Ah… no, not just yet." Cameron admitted. "Once I get a phone, probably."

IF, on the other hand, was looking at her phone as if the words and numbers on it were engraved in solid gold. "This is Lady Green Heart's email… yes!" she whispered loudly, fist pumping proudly.

"Well, feel free to email me at any time." Vert responded happily. "And once you get your's set up, you'll be free to do the same, Cameron."

"Y-yes!" IF responded enthusiastically. Then, she glanced at the time on her phone. "Oh, that's right… we have to leave." IF added, extremely disappointed.

"My, how unfortunate. But I suppose you have your needs to attend to." Vert said, just as disappointedly.

"We'll come back again, for sure." Cameron stated, standing up and straightening his shirt.

"Yes, please do come back. You're welcome here any time, Iffy, Cameron." Vert responded, rising from her seat. "The next time you come, I will have better tea prepared."

IF and Cameron soon found their way out of the Basilicom, heading on to where the hotel was. But if they had hung around a little bit longer before heading away from Vert's room…

"Iffy… maybe she can help me…"

 _Some time later…_

"Iffy's late, isn't she? I wonder what's holding her up." Neptune commented.

She, Compa, and Freddy were lounging around the hotel room they rented, simply waiting until IF and Cameron came back from whatever they were doing.

"Maybe Iffy went someplace before coming here?" Compa offered.

"Or maybe Iffy just went to see Lady Green Heart in secret." Neptune teased. "And Cameron decided to follow along with her."

"Iffy's a fan of Lady Green Heart, but I don't think that she'd do that…" Compa responded, a tad hesitant.

"As long as they get here soon, I don't care where they went." Freddy grumbled. "I'm starving."

At that exact moment, the door to the room opened. "We're baaaaack!" IF called out.

"And we grabbed snacks!" Cameron added, a small armful of snacks in his arms.

"Welcome back, Iffy!" Compa said joyfully, hugging IF and Cameron as they came in.

"You kept us waiting!" Neptune said, not nearly as happy, tapping her foot on the ground.

"I'm sorry." IF apologized, embarrassed. "That Evil-whatishisname talked my ears off."

"Okay, now I'm pretty sure you're just doing that on purpose." Cameron argued, tossing a bag of ordinary chips over to Freddy.

"At least you had the sense to get snacks. That's good enough in my book." Freddy offered, munching away. "Still an hour or so before the dinner party."

"What was the talk about?" Compa asked.

"Um…" IF started, "Something about the universe contracting or expanding or something…"

Cameron kept his face neutral, but something was up. Either IF was fibbing, or… did she forget about that talk she had with Yvoire?

"Oh?" Neptune asked, "We were guessing that you and Cameron went looking for Lady Green Heart's room."

"Wh-what?! I-I-I would never do something like that!" IF responded quickly, which was true. They stumbled upon it by accident.

"Anyway," Cameron spoke up, changing the subject. "Is it time for the party thing yet?"

"Still an hour or so." Freddy spoke up, through half a mouthful of crunchy Potato Chisps.

 _An hour or so later…_

"...and so, our heroes have arrived to the party…" Neptune narrated. She and the other four had just gotten back to the Basilicom.

 _(Nep-Nep is best narrator! Well, I am!)_

"What was that narration for?" Compa asked, but immediately changed topics once she saw the food. "...mmmm, the food looks soooo good."

Yvoire came over from another room. "Well, hello again. Are you enjoying the meal?" he asked.

"We were just about to dig in." Neptune explained.

"I want some of that, and some of that, and some of-" Cameron was saying to himself, stars in his eyes, pointing to all the things that he was gonna stuff his face with.

"There's so much good looking things here! What do you recommend?" Freddy asked, stars in his own eyes too.

"Asking someone who knows is the key to eating the right food." Neptune added with a smile.

"I'm glad you asked! Let me recommend the food coming out right now." Yvoire offered, gesturing to servers who were coming over with a giant tray. "This here is the Doggang Muck Special, 'Truffle Caviar Delight.' Made with fine, local ingredients only available here in Leanbox."

Neptune looked ecstatic. Drooling a little bit, she exclaimed, "Yay! Now that's my Leanbox! This is gonna be so good!"

"Wow! How was this plate made?" Compa asked, referring to the food, of course, not the plate her food was going to be served on. Duh.

 **(I'd bet ten to one that at least half the people that played the game or watched it for the first time mistook that line.)**

"Fresh truffles and caviar, delicately arranged by Sir Muck." Yvoire explained. "We then have olive oil poured on by Sir Sten Biller. A true delight!"

"So… none of the chefs did anything… and the flavor is only from olive oil?" IF wondered aloud, a tad suspicious.

"Who cares? I'm taking this big piece! Here I go!" Neptune called out, stabbing a large piece with her fork and opening wide.

Something was wrong. IF felt it rather than saw it. Suddenly, the memories of before came back, about Yvoire and… poison!

"Wait up Nep! Don't eat it!" IF tried to yell, but by then it was too late.

"*chomp* *chomp*... *gulp*" Neptune chewed, and swallowed faster than thought possible. But… she looked fine. "Hm? What's the matter Iffy? Did you want that big piece I took? Welp, too bad for you! It's nice and comfy in my stomach already!"

IF looked surprised. "...wha-? Did I… think wrong or something…?" she asked.

But Neptune looked fine. She was just standing there, smiling…

Until she keeled over on the spot, collapsing on the ground.

"N-Nep?!" IF called out, shocked.

Compa and Cameron, closest to Neptune, instantly went down to her. "Nep-Nep just fell over! What happened?!"

"Evil-idontcareyourname!" IF yelled at Yvoire. "You did this, didn't you?! You poisoned Nep!"

"P-poison?!" Compa and Freddy shouted, confused.

"Exactly. But now we know that she was truly tainted with evil." Yvoire agreed solemnly.

Cameron stood back up, his hands balled into shaking fists as he yelled out, "You idiot! Poison can't tell the difference between good or evil! Of course Neptune would be affected!"

Compa and now Freddy were on the ground, shaking Neptune, as Compa yelled, "Nep-Nep! Can you hear me?! Answer me, Nep-Nep!"

"Men!" Yvoire yelled toward another hallway. "Capture these girls and men! They are all followers of Overlord Momus!"

Guards rushed in instantly, with one saying, "Yes, sir!"

"YVOIRE!" Cameron shouted in a rage, pulling out his sword and running to the older man, but he never got there. Leanbox guards quickly caught him and confiscated his sword. Cameron tried to reach for his arm cannon, but the guards saw that and took that away as well, leaving Cameron with no weapons on his person.

"Wha-?! What are you doing?! This is all a horrible mistake!" IF yelled loudly, trying to explain.

Two more guards grabbed Compa roughly and dragged her away from Neptune. "Ow, owwy! Let me go!" Compa pleaded, tears in her eyes.

Another quickly apprehended Freddy, who was so surprised about what was happening, in his own Land no less, that he didn't even try to resist.

"You!" another guard pointed to IF. "You're coming with us!"

"Wait! Ouch! Please! Let us go! Compa! Nep! Cameron!" IF shouted, struggling, but to no avail.

"Stay in prison." Yvoire spoke maliciously. "Your faith should be cleansed by the time you are released."

 _(So, like, a minute?)_

"LET ME GO!" Cameron yelled, as guards dragged him and the others away from the table.

…

…

 _Some time later…_

"Iffy?" Compa spoke up, for the first time in quite a while. "I wonder how long it's been…"

"About three hours?" IF guessed, a cell that she managed to sneak into her pocket before the guards took them all in her hand. "My cell can't call from here, so that's no help. How's Nep?"

"I can't see well here, but she's getting colder… this isn't good…" Compa replied, tears well visible in her eyes.

Repeated bangs on a wooden door were heard again. They looked over to see Cameron banging his fists on the door, in an attempt to get them out of here. But even though it still wasn't working, that didn't mean he was about to give up.

"I… just… need… to… break… this… door!" he said between bangs. The guards had given up on trying to make him stop, his adrenaline was still running through the roof.

"Compa, can you do something about Nep? You're aspiring to be a nurse, right?" IF asked quietly.

"I wish I could help, but I'm just a nurse, and she needs a doctor." Compa replied sadly. "I'm sorry, Nep-Nep… I can't help, even if you're in so much pain…"

Now she really did break down and start crying. Freddy, who had been quiet in a corner up until now, went over to gently comfort her.

Cameron finally ran out of steam, at least for the moment, and sat down angrily next to IF, his eyes closed. He wanted to blow off more steam, but figured it would be better to sit down and at least TRY to calm down for a moment.

It was dark, like Compa said, but he could still somehow clearly see Neptune, lying on her back on the ground. Her face was normal, but she looked almost in pain. Her face, once the normal skin color, was now becoming blue the longer time passed. He already knew trying to wake her up was pointless.

IF slowly spoke up, so softly that only Cameron could hear her. He had to strain to listen…

"It… it's all my fault… I was so caught up with Lady Vert that I forgot about the poison…" she muttered softly.

Tears welled up in her eyes, and she slowly started to sob. Cameron, losing his anger in favor of his soft side, gently wrapped his arms around her, which only made her sob harder. "Please… someone… help…" IF spoke through her sobs, "Help, Lady Vert…"

"Did you call, Iffy?" a voice said directly behind her.

Everyone in the room, minus Neptune obviously, looked up in surprise. There in all her glory was Lady Vert herself, standing in the doorway.

"Is… that…" Freddy spoke, his eyes wide.

"...Lady… Vert…?" IF finished, surprised.

 _A minute or so later…_

"She's sound asleep. I didn't expect this to be happening under me…" Vert muttered slowly, assessing Neptune.

Everyone was back in the Lady's room, with Neptune resting on the sofa. Compa, IF, and Cameron stood off to the side, watching the Lady. "Iffy?" Compa spoke up. "Is she, by any chance, the goddess of Leanbox?"

"Y-yes." IF responded breathlessly.

"We… may have run into her by chance before." Cameron admitted.

"Wow! You both knew Miss Goddess?" Compa asked.

"Only recently… Lady Vert, how did you know we were caught?" IF questioned once Vert stood up straight again.

"I am a goddess, so it was easy to find out who was in attendance today." Vert explained. "I was going to skip the party so I could finish my backlog of games, but then I saw your names, Iffy and Cameron. So I went in, only to see all the commotion."

'I assume we're just gonna gloss over the fact that it took her three whole hours to get us out of there, even though she apparently SAW us get taken away…' Cameron thought, sighing internally. Minor details.

"Um, I've heard that you were very busy, but was that because…?" IF started to question.

"Why, yes." Vert replied, smiling. "I wanted to play my backlogs and I had missions to clear online. Playing games and chatting online is way more fun than some boring party."

"Iffy… is the goddess of Leanbox… dare I say…?" Compa asked timidly.

"Yeah. A hardcore gamer. I guess I lost the bet with Nep." IF replied, shaking her head. Deep down she kinda knew it had to be true, but it still was a bit hard to take.

"Nep? Is that her name?" Vert asked, gesturing to Neptune.

"Yes." IF replied, before continuing, "Well, actually, Nep is how I call her, but her real name is Neptune."

Vert looked a little shocked. "That's… Neptune…?"

Compa was confused. "Lady Vert?"

"Oh, I'm sorry." Vert apologized, recomposing herself again. "Anyhow, I would like to ask what happened, but first…"

She turned around, and picked up another tray. "You all must be hungry. May I serve you some pastries and tea?"

 _(Oh, yeah, sure, I'm just dying of poison over here, but by all means, drink that tea you guys!)_

 **(Such sarcasm. Much wow.)**

A few minutes passed, as the group explained everything that happened. Well, the group minus one. Freddy had been very absent amidst all the conversation, only really saying anything when spoken to, and even that was short. Perhaps he was in a form of shock that he was finally meeting his goddess.

Regardless, once the group finished talking, Vert looked noticeably steamed. "I can't believe Yvoire did that." Vert said, an angry tone present in her voice. "Also, Momus' messenger must be stopped. But priority should be to rid Neptune of her poison."

"I don't suppose a simple antidote we have will cure it?" Cameron assumed.

"Her face was blue, but now it's turning purple…" Compa commented worriedly.

Vert was assessing the poison IF had received from Yvoire, which Cameron had dug out of his bag to show Vert. "It seems the poison Iffy got from Yvoire is from the ancients." she commented.

"Lady Vert has so much knowledge of poison!" Compa commented herself.

"My, oh, no. I have no knowledge of poison at all." Vert responded.

"Hmm? Then… how'd you know about it?" Freddy asked curiously, finally speaking of his own accord.

"Why, I just searched it online while everyone was talking." Vert replied simply. "Just in case, I also posted it to 765-chan and a pro answered in seconds."

Compa and Freddy were both a bit surprised at Vert's… unique problem solving style. When they didn't say anything, Vert asked awkwardly, "My, what's with those slightly dull looks of yours?"

"The Lady is much more… accomplished than I thought." Compa stated softly.

"Is it just me, or did everyone put some distance between me?" Vert asked softly.

"O-of course not!" IF responded, before quickly asking, "Was there any other detox methods there?"

"Yes, but to make the antidote, it requires an ingredient from a monster." Vert responded.

"That's right up our alley!" IF said determinedly. "Let's go!

"Yessy!" Compa replied, standing up.

"But… there was one more thing." Vert interrupted, oddly quiet. "I did a bit more research about this monster, and… it seems it only appears in one dungeon for a little while, and we have already missed it.

"Wait, what?" Cameron asked.

"That means we have to wait until tomorrow before we can get the final ingredient." Vert continued.

"But, the poison…!" Cameron argued.

"The poison, from what I gathered, takes three full days to come into full effect and kill." Vert countered quickly. "So Neptune will not be in danger for at least a few more days."

"I don't think we have much of a choice on this one Cameron." Freddy muttered softly, standing up and patting Cameron on the back. "You have to wait."

It took Cameron a minute to accept it, but once he did his shoulders slumped and he, reluctantly, agreed. "Yeah, I guess you're right…"

 _Neptune has left the party._

 _(*sigh* I wasn't looking forward to this. The point where I have no choice BUT to be away from the party. Oh well, I guess it can't be helped.)_

"So… what are we going to do?" Compa asked worriedly.

"Well, it's getting rather late." IF responded, looking out a window at the reddening sky. "We should head back to the hotel."

"But… what about Nep-Nep?" Compa asked softly.

"She can stay with me. I'll watch after her." Vert responded with a smile.

Cameron had been quiet up until now, but he suddenly broke off and stated, "I'm staying here."

"Wha-?" IF started.

"I'm not leaving Neptune alone all night. Not until she's been cured." Cameron stated firmly. "I trust Vert, but I want to be absolutely sure she'll be fine."

He turned to the Lady. "Of course, only if that's okay with you, Lady Vert."

Vert seemed a little surprised at Cameron's, well, determination to stay with Neptune, but she didn't see anything particularly wrong with it. "I have no qualms with this. But I can't really have anyone else staying with me, so…"

Cameron turned to the rest of his friends. His eyes pleaded with them, "Please, just let me do this. I need to be sure."

"...that's fine, I guess." IF agreed softly. "We'll be back first thing in the morning, okay?"

"Of course." Cameron agreed gratefully, his shoulders relaxing.

A few minutes later, and IF, Compa, and Freddy had all left the Basilicom, leaving Cameron alone with Vert and an unconscious Neptune.

Cameron knelt down to Neptune's side, gently brushing a bang out of her face. Her face was becoming slowly more purple as time passed. But he had to stay strong. Neptune was a lot stronger than she let on. Surely she'd hold on until they had the antidote ready for her.

Vert stood beside him, watching him carefully. "That was very sweet, what you're doing for your friend."

Cameron's face looked down at the ground. "She's way more than just a friend at this point… I trust her with my life." he fiercely stated. "And I'm not going to stop until she's better… I swear my life on it."

Vert was shocked at Cameron. He… he was really, really adamant on keeping Neptune safe, wasn't he? Just like in the animes…

Slowly, an idea about these two started to form, but now was not the time to question that. She left the room, with the excuse that she had something she needed to prepare.

Cameron sighed, then sat down in the small arm chair across from Neptune. Tonight was gonna pass slowly, but at least he would get to keep an eye on Neptune.

Why he was so adiment on watching Neptune was beyond even him. He just… felt it. He had a desire, no, a yearning, to stay by Neptune's side until she was better again. And even in the safety of Nep's room, he couldn't rule out the possibility of someone, like Yvoire, coming back to finish the job.

So his mind decided that the best course of action was to simply stay by Neptune's side for now. Surely it wouldn't be that hard, right?

And so, the night began…

 **And that's that! Three whole chapters, back to back! Man aren't you guys lucky?**

 _(Yay! Three whole chapters of Neptune goodness!)_

(You both are beyond strange, you know that?)

 **Like you can talk Noire. You belong in this happy camp, and you know it.**

(I wasn't saying that I wasn't. I was just saying that you two are crazy, especially you, Author.)

 **Please, you two keep referring to me as 'Author.' That's way too formal for this type of setting. Just call me Butter. It's way simpler at this point, and it part of my site username.**

 _(Fair enough. So, what now?)_

 **Now? We wait a while, let our chapter barrage cool off. Honestly, I'm not sure how well the readers took our rapid back-to-back posting, but I would at least like to give them a short while before giving them something else.**

(Certainly a better plan than whatever Neptune could come up with.)

 _(Now that's just plain mean! Butter, say something!)_

 ***sigh* Can you two please stop bickering for just five minutes? Go play on my consoles for a while or something, but please, just five minutes of no bickering.**

 ***watches the other two slowly leave* Thank god…**

 **Anyway readers, thanks for being with me in this Neptune Chapter Bonanza! I highly doubt something like this will happen again, but knowing me and lemon/lime/things, you never know.**

 **And special thanks you guys! We have passed the 100,000 word mark already! That's huge this early in! Round of applause for you all!**

 **Thank you all so much for putting up with me and my randomness for over 100,000 words. Well, moreso Nep's randomness, but you get the picture. I really do appreciate everything you guys do, be it leaving reviews, giving me favorites, or simply reading the story itself. And for that, I thank you all from the bottom of my heart.**

 **As always, if you guys have any questions for me on either of my stories, PM me and I'll do my best to answer. Until next time guys, stay awesome.**


	19. Antidote Hunting

**What is up you awesome readers! It's ButterHunter, back with another chapter for HyperDimension Neptunia, Volume C!**

 **Not gonna waste any time today! Let's jump right back in!**

Chapter 19: Antidote Hunting

'Why am I still doing this?'

Cameron asked himself that question gently. It was almost ten at night at this point, and yet Cameron had still not moved from that very spot in the airchair. His eyes were bloodshot, and he was on the verge of simply passing out. But something was keeping that from happening.

This didn't feel like last night, when Cameron and Neptune couldn't fall asleep. This… simply felt like his mind was refusing to let his body sleep. Even if he could close his eyes, he doubted they would stay like that for long.

Suddenly, the soft sound of steps came from the side, where Vert had disappeared long ago. She came in, and instantly saw Cameron, barely awake.

She had changed outfits. Instead of that green dress from earlier, now she was wearing a simple green nightgown, which flowed elegantly as she moved. Cameron would've stared at her now even MORE exaggerated breasts, had he not been so adamant on Neptune's safety.

"You're still up?" Vert asked in a surprised manner, her arms crossed. "I thought you would've fallen asleep at this point…"

"Nah… I'm… fine…" Cameron muttered. His voice was rather hoarse. He cleared his throat, which helped a little bit as he asked, "Why are you… still up?"

"Because, despite all my missions I need to clear online, I decided that getting Neptune's antidote was much more important, so I'm getting some beauty sleep." Vert answered.

Cameron almost laughed. "Well… I'm just glad you're… helping us…" he stated, returning his gaze over to the seemingly lifeless Neptune.

"I think you may want to let up on watching Neptune tonight." Vert commented gently. "Nothing is going to happen to her."

"Can… can you prove that?" Cameron asked.

"Admittedly, no." Vert admitted. "But I do know that as long as she is with me, someone would have quite the tough time getting to her."

 _(Somehow, I'm tempted to believe that… in more ways than one.)_

Cameron sighed, then once again asked himself why he did this. Sure, he loved Neptune and all that, but… why was he so adamant to protecting her, that he would literally lose sleep just to keep an eye on her?

Vert sighed herself, before an idea struck her. "Hey… how about you get some sleep, and I'll watch her? As like… shifts."

At the mention of 'sleep,' Cameron's entire body BEGGED him to agree instantly, but Cameron hesitated. "Why… why would you want to do that?"

"Because I am used to staying up late, whereas you…" Vert stated, tugging at her collar gently. "You seem like you're about to pass out no matter what I do."

Cameron wrestled with the offer a bit more, but eventually, the tired part of him finally won out. "Just… just for an hour or two. Wake… wake me then… okay?"

Vert didn't even get a chance to respond when suddenly, Cameron passed out into deep sleep almost instantaneously.

"Oh. He… was really tired then…" Vert muttered, in a half shocked, half impressed tone.

"Hmm…" she hummed, bending down to Cameron's level to get a better look at him.

Although it was only slight, Cameron had started to build some muscle ever since his adventure started. All that time under the sun also was starting to give him a very slight tan on his face and arms, and his hair was starting to become lighter in color, instead of just dirty brown like it had been.

Vert carefully pulled the glasses off his face, and set them on the small nightstand next to her bed. "Good night, then." Vert murmured gently.

Cameron seemed okay, but just as Vert was about to sit down on her bed, Cameron started squirming in his chair, like he was uncomfortable.

Vert watched him with almost sad eyes, seeing him in slight discomfort. 'Hmm…'

Then, Cameron suddenly shifted again, and somehow fell right out of the chair itself. "Goodness! Cameron, are you alright?" Vert asked worriedly.

"Zzz… Zzz…" came the reply.

Vert stared at Cameron for a moment. 'He… he's still asleep? He must be more tired than I thought…'

With a sigh, Vert gently lifted Cameron by the armpits to put him back in the chair. But the way she did so, suddenly Cameron reacted in a peculiar way.

His arms suddenly wrapped around Vert, as though in a hug, and his body leaned forward instinctively. He was still unconscious, and yet here he was somehow able to hug Vert.

Vert, after the initial surprise, understood slowly why he had been squirming. "Ooh, I get it… you're a sleep hugger, aren't you?"

"Mmm…" Cameron unconscious hummed in his sleep, a smile slowly tugging at his lips. Vert was very warm… and soft…

"Well, I guess I don't really have much of a choice here…" Vert sighed, though she didn't sound very displeased. If anything, she looked… kinda happy.

Slowly, she managed to get Cameron over to her bed and heft the two of them onto it. Cameron seemed right at home here, instantly snuggling even closer to Vert.

Vert giggled a little bit. This display was very cute. As well as rather intimate. Just like this one manga she had been reading earlier that week. Oh, how she loved the small, intimate scenes…

Slowly, she started to fall into sleep herself, wondering how Cameron would take all this. Would he be angry that she didn't wake him when he asked? Would he be glad? What about the whole hugging thing? Did he already know about it?

Vert eventually brushed it all off for now. After all, she was tired.

So, she gently drifted off into a deep sleep, with her hands gently resting on Cameron's back as his arms squeezed her tightly…

 _The next morning…_

"Hah… *huge yawn*"

Cameron slowly emerged from a very deep, peaceful sleep. He felt very energized and ready to take on anything now.

Slowly, he opened his eyes, blinking whatever sleep may still have been with him.

However, he noticed rather quickly that he was very… limited in movement. That was to say, something was locked around his middle, keeping him from moving around very much.

He opened his eyes all the way to see was it was, and was met with an eyefull of Lady Vert. Or, should we say, her chest.

Vert was hugging Cameron warmly, but the way she was doing it, Cameron's face was practically an inch away from the Lady's breasts.

'Initial surprise… loaded.' he could hear his mind saying aloud, his face becoming beet red. 'Embarrassment module… fully charged. Panic level…'

'IT'S OVER 9…!' Cameron started to think, before he mentally slapped himself. 'NO! Don't you DARE use that overused meme! You are stronger than that!'

 _(Awww! Come on! I had money on that one! I thought you would use that!)_

Slowly, his forced his thoughts to calm down, which slowly calmed him down slightly, and not a moment too soon. Slowly, Vert was slowly stirring from rest, letting go of Cameron as she sat up and stretched.

"Umm… good morning…?" Cameron slowly asked, sitting up himself.

Vert looked over at Cameron and smiled warmly. "Oh, good morning Cameron. Did you sleep well?"

"I… I guess I did…" Cameron mused, before something stood out to him. "Hey, wait a minute! I thought we were gonna take shifts watching Neptune?!"

"We were, but you looked like you needed the sleep far more than watching her." Vert replied, ruffling Cameron's hair as she got off the bed and headed to the other room.

"Grr… you little liar…" Cameron growled, but in truth he was happy Vert did that. She cared about his well-being, which was definitely something. And to be honest, what good would a half-awake zombie do to save Neptune?

Anyway, Vert soon returned, back in her normal green dress, with a small tray of tea and biscuits. "Something to eat?" she asked sweetly.

 _(How much tea and biscuits does this woman have? That's, what, the third time in two days she's offered it?)_

 _An hour or so later…_

IF and Compa showed up soon after.

"Hey, where's Freddy?" Cameron asked, noting his absence.

"Oh, he actually left us a note. Said something along the lines of, 'Sorry, but something urgent just came up. I'll try to rejoin with you all ASAP. I'm really sorry.'"

 _Freddy Lane has left the party._

"Aww man, and just as he was entering, too…" Cameron muttered disappointedly.

"I'm sure we'll see him again." Compa reassured eagerly.

"Anyway, we have to get going now." IF reminded everyone. "That monster with the ingredient should be in a dungeon today, right Lady Vert?"

"That is correct, Iffy." Vert replied.

"Let's go!" Compa replied eagerly.

They all started to stand up, but IF couldn't help but notice that Vert had also stood with them. "Umm… I almost hate to ask, but… why is Lady Vert standl with us?"

"Wha-?!" Vert asked, looking crushed. "That's so cruel, Iffy! Not wanting to be with me…"

IF instantly tried to reverse herself. "That definitely was not what I was meaning… uh, how can I put this…?"

"I'm just pulling your leg, Iffy. You're such a cutie, even when you're stressed."

"C-cu-cuite?" IF asked, blushing.

"Oh, if you want to grind levels at the previous dungeon, don't worry. The one before was meant for a four-cell party. Now that I'm here, though, I can augment the fourth slot. I will show you my pro skills here."

Cameron slowly put two and two together. "I'm assuming when you say 'pro' you mean…"

"My, of course, 'pro' as in a gamer!" Vert responded proudly.

Compa, meanwhile, was looking a tad worried. "But if Lady Vert comes, then no one can look after Nep-Nep…"

Cameron suddenly had an odd glint in his eyes. Seeing this, Vert instantly understood what he was about to say. "Oh, that should not be a problem." Vert rebutted, clapping her hands together quickly.

"('・ω・') Ran-Ran!" someone said, appearing from out of nowhere.

"What. The. Hell." Cameron slowly stated, eyes wide as he started at the… thing that just appeared.

"Wha-?! What is that?!" Compa asked nervously, grabbing Cameron's arm.

"('・ω・') Ran-Ran is Ran-Ran!" the creature said. It could almost pass off as a human, if not for the ridiculous white pig face it had. Other than that it had blondish-brown hair and a blue dress, and was so short she came up to just under Lady Vert's midriff.

"Lady Vert… this is… uh…?" IF asked, words failing her.

"My, do none of you know Ran-Ran?" Vert asked, surprised.

"First I've heard of it." Cameron said, watching Ran Ran very carefully. He was seriously trying to decide if Ran Ran was just wearing a mask, or that was actually it's face.

"No, we don't…" Compa backed up.

"Ran-Ran is the Stand Alone Complex of Gamindustri." Vert explained.

"Stand… what?" Compa asked, confused.

"Ran-Ran roams Gamindustri, seeking to right the wrong of questionable games." Vert explained again. "This one came to Leanbox a while back, so I've kept it as a pet."

"That thing…" Cameron started.

"A pet…?" IF finished, her head tilting questioningly.

"Oh, don't underestimate Ran-Ran. Ran-Ran is much better than any guard dog." Vert assured.

"('・ω・') Ran Ran says, woof-woof!" Ran-Ran added on, suddenly sitting down on the ground in a kneeling position.

 _(... maybe a little TOO much better…)_

"It is very neutral to matters, so you can trust Ran-Ran." Vert assured again.

Extremely confused as they were, the group decided to simply trust Vert on this one. After all, the Lady hadn't lead them wrong yet, right?

Anyway, Ran Ran spoke up from the floor. "('・ω ・') Ran-Ran asks Lady Vert. What do you want with Ran-Ran?"

Vert quickly leaned down and whispered into Ran-Ran's ear something, and then stood up while saying, "...and so, I need you to keep Neptune safe while we are gone."

"('・ω・') Roger!" Ran Ran said with a mini salute, standing quickly and sitting back down in front of the unconscious Neptune.

"Now that's done, let's get going, shall we?" Vert asked.

The others were slightly concerned still, but Vert seemed to have her mind set on going now. No point in trying to delay the plot anymore than they needed.

 _Vert has joined the party!_

Cameron and the others almost headed out, until Cameron realized something. "Hey, wait. Those guards, back when we got captured, took both my sword and my arm cannon. Where are they?"

"A sword and an arm cannon?" Vert asked, pulling out a small phone of some sort. "Hmm… I don't see anything like that in the armory… or in the guards room… or in Yvoire's room…"

"Does… does Lady Vert have surveillance cameras hooked up to her phone, or…?" Compa asked Cameron timidly, in a whisper.

"I think it's better if we DON'T know." Cameron whispered back.

 _(*cough* Stalker. *cough*)_

A minute or so passed. "I don't see anything like that…" Vert responded, putting the phone away.

"But… what am I supposed to use? I don't have any other weapons on me…" Cameron said, before remembering something.

 _The gloves._ The guards hadn't taken them. Why would they, after all?

And it was that Tekken girl that had dropped them. Tekken… she was blatantly a martial artist, or something of similar caliber.

He looked down at his right hand again. Slowly, he clenched it into a fist, the idea slowly becoming clearer and clearer.

"Actually, on second thought, I don't think I need them right now." he murmured, loudly cracking his knuckles.

Compa and IF understood instantly what he was going on about. "That's… that's a very dangerous idea…" IF started.

"You got a better solution? We're on a time-crunch situation here." Cameron rebutted.

IF didn't say anything.

"That's what I thought. Now let's go. We've wasted more than enough time already."

 _Several minutes later…_

"This is it… I think."

The four finally arrived at the dungeon Vert said the monster they needed was. Hopefully.

"Alright… I guess we should just get started." Cameron said. "Sooner we get that ingredient, the sooner we can leave, and the sooner we can save Neptune."

The others nodded in agreement, and started to head in. Of course, the monsters here started to attack when they got close.

IF and Compa quickly drew their weapons. Vert softly giggled a bit, then pulled out a huge-ass spear, seemingly from nowhere.

"Should I even bother asking about where that came from?" Cameron asked, already knowing the answer.

Vert simply laughed a bit more at that. "You can if you want, but don't expect a clear answer."

"Figures…" Cameron sighed.

The monsters went first. But due to the grinding the group had done, the blows did very little, if not absolutely nothing, to hurt them. Clearly these regular fights were becoming very one-sided, merely experience farms.

Anyway, it was Cameron's turn now. He rolled his head around a little, and then popped his knuckles again. "Let's see how much this hurts." he said, raising his clenched fists.

He charged forward, and, bracing himself, threw a massive punch at the first monster he could reach. He followed up with several quick jabs, finishing off with another large punch. The monster didn't fall, but it was beaten up quite well for his first time trying just his fists.

Even Cameron was impressed. "I think I found myself another weapon." he muttered rhetorically, smirking at the other three.

 **(So, if you haven't figured it out by now, my OC's weapons are pretty much direct parallels to Super Smash Bros.'s Mii Fighters, Brawler, Swordsman, and Gunner. Hey, they're the characters I use the most in that game, so why not?)**

Anyway, the others quickly had their turns, with Vert taking the end. She was quite the strong fighter, her spear being a part of that. She had probably the best range out of everyone here, able to easily take on a row of enemies.

Once the battle was over, the group started to head on, IF and Compa leading. Cameron and Vert were behind a fair bit, not talking just yet, just… thinking.

"H-hey… I have a question." Cameron asked, uncharacteristically timid.

"What would you like to know?" Vert asked sweetly.

"Well…" Cameron started, tugging at his collar nervously. "Why… why did I find myself in your bed when I woke up this morning? I swear I fell asleep in that chair…"

"Ah, yes. That." Vert replied, remembering what happened last night. "Well, I was just about to jump into bed myself, when out of nowhere, you fell right out of the chair. Only, you were still asleep. I tried to pick you up to put you back in the chair, but…"

"But… what?" Cameron asked.

"Your arms wrapped around me, hugging me." Vert said, the smile on her lips suddenly becoming slightly broader.

Cameron's face reddened. "I… I did…?"

"Yes. Seeing this, I felt that even if I could worm out of your grip, you'd react negatively. So I simply carried you over to my bed and, well, you know the rest." Vert wrapped up.

Cameron's blush was slowly becoming harder. "I-I'm sorry, Lady Vert. I-I didn't mean to be a burden like that-"

"Oh, don't worry. I don't mind." Vert said, playfully tapping his nose. "We're friends after all. Shouldn't friends be able to do things like that?"

Cameron thought about that. "Well… I guess if you were really close friends…" he admitted.

"My! So does that make us very close friends?" Vert asked, smiling mischievously.

"I-in a sense, yes…" Cameron half agreed, slowly scooting half a step away from Vert.

Vert didn't say anything more, she just giggled to herself and continued on the path.

Cameron thought about the… let's just say interesting, conversation he just had. Vert had some sort of… charm. Like, you could be brutally honest with her, and she'd be indifferent about it all. That was something Cameron could find rather appealing. Add on the fact that she was not only a gamer, but also loved anime, and there was nothing that he could really say he disliked about her.

'The only thing that I can really say is strange is… how forward she is.' he thought. But, in its own way, that too had a sort of… endearing feel to it.

Anyway, the group continued forward deeper into the dungeon. However, the more fights they partook in, the more something stirred in Cameron's chest.

It was strongest just before his last fight before he would turn level twenty-five. There he knew what that feeling was. It was a feeling of him about to learn a new move. And somehow, it felt… like this move was about to be a big one.

Once the battle was over, he had leveled up, and the feeling in his chest exponentially grew into an almost burning feeling.

IF noticed something too. "I know that look. You learned a new move, didn't you?" she asked.

"Yeah." Cameron replied. "A really freaking strong one at that."

"You okay though?" IF asked, looking slightly concerned. "You look a little faint."

"I… I'll be fine." Cameron said, pounding his chest a little bit. The feeling in his chest subsided soon after that. "I feel better now."

"Well… if you say so…" IF murmured, still looking slightly worried.

Compa and Vert were leading, so they hadn't hear what the two were talking about. But they slowly came to a stop, looking around the clearing.

"We came quite far, but I don't see Mr. Monster here." Compa said, slightly worried.

"We should be on the right path, so I would assume we're close." Vert assured.

IF looked behind her. "With all these monsters, I think it's best to get what we need and zip out." she said.

Since they were just standing around, Compa decided to ask Vert something. "Lady Vert? You won't change forms like the other goddesses?"

"Yeah, I noticed that you haven't changed forms ever since we came into this dungeon." Cameron mused, his head tilting slightly.

"Change forms…?" Vert asked. "You mean Hard Drive Divinity?"

"I would LOVE to see Lady Vert in her HDD form!" IF exclaimed, excited by the prospect of seeing her Lady in all of her glory.

Vert seemed concerned. "...now this poses a problem. HDD does use quite some power… buuut… if Iffy or Cameron would call me either Vert-Vert or Verty, something may happen…"

IF blushed. "G-give my Lady a nickname?! B-but that would be disrespectful!" she argued.

"Umm…" Cameron started to say.

"Iffy, Cameron… you DO want to see my HDD form, don't you?" Vert asked, a knowing smile curling at her lips. "Just say the magic word…"

Slowly, IF's will crumbled. She wanted to see the Lady's HDD form SO badly…

 _(Oh, I'm sure EVERYONE wants to see Vert's 'special' form, isn't that right~?)_

"...V…" IF started, blush building by the second.

"Yes…" Vert said, goading her on.

"V-Ver…" IF tried again, beet red by this point.

"Just a little more~..." Vert goaded even more, smirking deeply.

"Um…" Compa spoke up.

"You two…" Cameron added on.

"Hm? Is anything of matter, you two?" Vert asked, pulling her eyes away from IF. "Oh! Is it that you both also want to call me by nickname, too, don't you?"

"No, it's…" Compa began.

"You both should… look over there." Cameron tagged on, pointing right behind Vert.

"Be… hind me?" Vert asked slowly, turning on her heel slowly.

The monster in question hadn't noticed them yet, but just as Vert turned around fully, it let out a shriek. Odd, because it basically was a giant whale, somehow flying through the sky. Cameron stared at it with big eyes. "Okay. Giant flying whales. Now I've seen everything."

 _(Oh, believe me, just wait until the sequel stories! You'll see a LOT more there buddy!)_

"My, how luck comes by." Vert said, suddenly looking determined at the monster that just came in. "This monster here is what we have been looking for."

IF seemed to snap out of it. "Wh-wha-?! When?!" she asked, suddenly noticing the monster in front of them.

"Mr. Monster came by just when you both were flirting with each other." Compa replied (and Cameron just then nearly fell over, barely holding back a massive wave of laughter).

"Wh-wh-wh-what are you saying, Compa?!" IF stammered, blushing furiously. "I-I wasn't flirting at all…!"

"Oh, Iffy is so cute in denial too." Vert countered, blushing herself. "The gap in her persona is so… tasty."

Cameron was about to comment on the, let's just say, suggestiveness of that last bit, but Vert continued before he could. "Well, but I suppose now is not the time to enjoy the moment. Now, you three. Let's get what we need and head back."

 _Battle start._

The four took their normal stances at the beginning of the battle. The, 'Forest Whale,' as it was apparently called, was ginormous. It took up nearly half the battle area alone, and that was saying something.

Cameron had first attack. 'Hmm… should I use that new skill now, or…?' he thought to himself.

But he ultimately decided to wait. Once the guard was down, THAT'S when he'd use it, for maximum damage potential.

So he instead used a different skill he learned on the way. The surroundings became dark, as the words, 'Burning Dropkick,' appeared above him. He charged up briefly, flames appearing from nowhere and slowly building around his legs.

"HAAAAH!" he yelled, and leaped forward, everything from the waist down encased in a raging firestorm. He smacked right into the whale's face with that, and bounced right back off, doing considerable knockback and some decent starting damage.

The fight went on for a few more turns, but Cameron couldn't help but notice something. Vert, even though she had plenty of time and SP to do so, did not transform, even though she would become even stronger like that.

'Hmm… better talk to her about that when I get a chance.' he thought, returning to the fight. Compa had just made her move, healing IF. The 'Forest Whale,' moved over to Compa and bashed her in the face, almost completely knocking her out.

"Aah!" she cried out in pain, nearly collapsing on the ground.

Time seemed to stand still for a moment.

Cameron watched Compa nearly fall in front of him…

Rage started building inside his body.

'Neptune is already down for the count… I'm NOT letting Compa go too!' he thought angrily.

 _Do it! Embrace the anger! Use it to strengthen your blows!_

His mind was too busy shaking in anger to fully register the voice. The same voice that spoke to Cameron two nights ago in his dreams.

But he did hear it. He assumed it was his own thoughts.

And he listened.

"You have just made the biggest mistake of your short life, blubber-brain." Cameron said in a deep, threatening voice.

Suddenly, he froze.

His eyes started glowing.

And words appeared above his head.

'Omega Blitz.'

"You have sealed your fate."

His eyes were now glowing bright gold, and a rainbow of colored energy seemed to be radiating from his entire being. He charged forward as fast as he could and threw the strongest uppercut he could muster.

The one blow sent the whale careening into the sky, but that wasn't enough for Cameron. An unbelieveable amount of energy was surging through his very bones. For once in his life, all thoughts faded. Everything was clear.

All that mattered to him was taking out the enemy.

Cameron used this newfound energy to leap high into the sky, right up to the level of the whale, which was spinning in place.

In that moment, anyone else who was watching would've probably felt sorry for the whale. Cameron roared like a feral animal, landing a flurry of punches after punches, kicks after kicks, everywhere he could reach. It almost never seemed to stop.

But finally, he was just about done. He was above the whale, and he charged up his fists…

And punched the whale as hard as he possibly could, sending it right back down to the ground falling at meteor speed.

The whale had had enough. With one last weak roar, it collapsed on the ground, defeated. Cameron's onslaught had been far too much for it. Granted, when he used the Blitz skill, the whale was only at about one-fourth, possibly one-eighth HP, but still, that was beyond impressive.

Cameron felt the energy leaving him once the move was over. He felt perfectly calm…

Until he realized he was still several dozens of feet in the air, and was about to start falling.

"Oh, shi-" he managed, before gravity took over completely.

He almost hit the ground, but suddenly his mind went into auto-pilot. He curled into a ball, turned the impact into a very impressive double somersault, and came up standing not far from IF and the others, feeling the energy fully leave him.

Panting, he looked up at the girls faces to see identical looks of pure surprise. "And… THAT, ladies… is how you get… the job done." Cameron got out between pants.

"Cameron…" Compa said, standing up and watching him, a mixture of shock and stars in her eyes. "That… that was… incredible!"

"THAT was the new skill you learned?!" IF asked, almost frightened.

Cameron chuckled a little bit. "Seems so." he replied. "Whew… I… I'm out of it…"

If Vert had any reason to think bad of Cameron, those thoughts were blown all out of her mind. "That… that was a feat and a half. How did you pull that off?"

"Easy." Cameron replied, able to talk normally now. "Two heaping cups of rage, a pound of anger, sprinkled with some energy, mixed together and popped in the oven at hellfire temperature for thirty seconds. In other words, someone got in the way of what I care about."

He looked at Compa, his gaze softening as he saw that she looked fine, just a little battered. "And anyone who gets in the way of what I care about should be warned."

Vert carefully looked at Cameron up and down, like she was seeing him for the first time. 'He… he reacts very strongly to anger then, it seems… I should make sure to know that.'

"I don't think I'm using that skill very often though…" Cameron continued, shaking his head to clear it. "That took a lot out of me…"

The group took a minute to fully regroup. Cameron looked at his gloved hands. The gloves still looked in pristine condition, despite what they had just managed to do. He also noticed something interesting: his hands didn't hurt. Even though he just fought that whale, and probably should've broken a finger or something, his hands only slightly ached. 'Maybe that's why I was able to pound that door as much as I did.' he realized.

"Well, now that that's over," Vert started, grabbing the item the monster had dropped. "We have the ingredient for the antidote. Shall we depart?"

As the four started to head out, IF slowly started to pout. "Auu… Lady Vert didn't even need to use her special form…"

"I'm sure you'll see the Lady in it one day. Don't take it too hard." Compa reassured, patting IF on the back.

"Yes, Iffy. One day… and soon…" Vert mumbled. Whether or not she actually meant someone to hear that, Cameron seemed to be the only one who did.

The group was heading out of the dungeon, ingredient in Cameron's hand. Suddenly, a thought came over him.

"Neptune's gonna have a cow that she didn't get to see that badass skill, isn't she?"

Laughs loudly rang out through the entire group, as they continued on back to the Basilicom.

 _Several minutes later…_

Once back at home base, Vert immediately took charge. "Now, let's start making the antidote. Compa? Can you help?"

Compa looked a little nervous at the question. "Umm, I'm not a pharmacist, so I can't make medicine thingies…" she responded.

"Now that poses a problem…" Vert muttered. "None of us are experts in the field besides Compa…"

"W-well, what about Ran-Ran?" Compa tried.

"('・ω・') Ran-Ran is Ran-Ran, so I don't know." Ran-Ran replied, standing close by.

"Compa, you're the only one remotely in a similar field. Please help." IF begged.

All the eyes in the room were focused on Compa, and that was making her very nervous. "But…"

"You want to save Neptune, right?" Vert asked.

"I want to save Nep-Nep, but…" Compa started. "I'm not the right person to save Nep-Nep."

"Compa, you literally pulled me and Neptune out of the ground and healed us from that." Cameron persisted. "Why don't you think you can't save her now?"

"Yeah, I don't understand." IF agreed. "Can you explain a little bit?"

"...I kept it a secret, but…" Compa started, tears forming in her eyes. "I actually failed at nursing school. I've enrolled several times, trying to get it all right, but… there's no way I could do something important like this… with a life on the line…"

It was quiet for maybe five seconds before IF asked, "Is that it?"

"My, I thought of something much worse, but if that is it…" Vert agreed.

"H-huh?" Compa asked, surprised.

"It's not like we're going to let you shoulder the burden alone." IF reminded her.

"Yes, we will help to the greatest extent possible." Vert agreed.

"You've patched me up more times than I can count, Compa." Cameron said. "If you think that I wouldn't help when I'm in your debt like that, then I don't know what to say."

"Compa, tell us what to do, and we'll do it." IF finished, wrapping an arm around Compa's shoulder. "Let's save Nep, together."

Compa was a bit taken back by all of the support she was getting. She almost got a little emotional, but remembered Neptune was still sick. "You… you're right. Together." she agreed, breathing deeply in preparation.

 _Several more minutes later…_

It took several minutes of mixing things together and one close call, but finally, the mixture was done. "I-it's done! We can save Nep-Nep now!" Compa exclaimed, wiping her forehead in relief.

"I thought it would be more complex, but that was a lot simpler than expected." IF said aloud. "Minus, of course, that close call."

"Well, I was surprised that the recipe of the antidote could be Goggled…" Vert added on.

Suddenly, Ran Ran spoke up. "('・ω・') Ran-Ran thinks you should give the medicine now.

Compa grabbed the vial of medicine, and took over to the sleeping Neptune. "Okay, Nep-Nep. Open wiiiide…" she said, hovering the vial over her mouth.

Unfortunately, Neptune didn't like that, even when unconscious. Moaning a little in her sleep, she squirmed away from the medicine every time Compa tried to bring it close to Nep's mouth.

"She has her lips shut tight…" Vert commented.

"To be fair, it stinks pretty badly." Cameron reminded her.

"Yeah, I think she must have shut her mouth by instinct." IF agreed.

"No! Bad Nep-Nep!" Compa berated. "If you don't open up, I'll pour it through your nose."

Cameron nearly retched. "Let's NOT resort to that plan, okay? That will NOT be something I want to partake in."

Even Ran Ran agreed with him. "('・ω・') Ran-Ran thinks that is not a good idea."

"Oh, I know!" Vert suddenly said. "In this kind of scene, you have to pass it mouth-to-mouth."

IF did a double take. "M-m-m-mouth-to-mouth?!"

"Yes. Isn't it romantic? Just like Snow White…" Vert said dreamily.

"I guess so, but to put it into action is…" IF started to say.

"Does Lady Vert dream of being kissed by a prince too?" Compa asked, capping the vial for now.

"My, of course." Vert agreed. "Only, I prefer my prince to be 2D."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"('・ω・') …"

 _(*trying hard not to laugh* Did you really do that joke?)_

 **(I did and I'm proud. *grinning broadly*)**

"But, seeing Neptune awaken with Compa's gentle kiss is romantic too, no?" Vert asked. "Or better yet, the handsome, passionate exchange of Cameron and Neptune!"

Cameron proceeded to facepalm so hard he fell over. The others, Ran Ran included, said, "Wow…"

"Oh, now! Stop gazing at me with your blank stares!" Vert complained, becoming nervous.

"('・ω ・') Ran-Ran can't comprehend…" Ran Ran stated, looking slightly confused.

"Vert, I think I speak for everyone here when I say you have really, REALLY weird fantasies." Cameron spoke up.

"Wha-?!" Vert asked, looking crushed again. "I-Iffy… don't tell me you…"

"I… didn't hear what you said…" IF tried.

"Wha-?! Wha-?!" Vert murmured again, shocked.

"('・ω ・') Ran-Ran can confirm Lady Vert is petrified in shock." Ran Ran said, stating the obvious.

Amidst all the pointless exposition made to fill in the blank space in this chapter, Compa suddenly had the biggest epiphany of her life. "Oh, I know! Nep-Nep should take the antidote with her favorite pudding!"

"Just like making a kid eat their vegetables. That might actually work." IF mused.

"Oh, no. I meant I was going to make an antidote pudding!" Compa explained cheerfully.

"Wait, what?" IF asked, confused.

Compa quickly explained her plan. The others, some more doubtful that this would work than others, did as they were instructed.

Pretty soon Compa had a small bowl of pudding, laced with the antidote, ready. "('・ω・') Ran-Ran is surprised you made it. The color is unique…"

Disregarding that comment, Compa stepped over to Neptune, a spoonful of pudding at the ready. "Open wide! It's Nep-Nep's favorite pudding to the rescue!"

As if by magic, Neptune's mouth opened wide to accept the spoon. "Aaaaaa…"

"('・ω・') Ran-Ran is surprised her mouth opened!" Ran Ran said, surprised.

"I can't believe how easy Nep opened her mouth to the pudding…" IF said, half amazed and half surprised.

"Then again, we ARE talking about Neptune, soo…" Cameron reminded her.

"The pudding is mightier than the sword, I see." Vert summed up.

"Wait, what?" Cameron asked. "I think you mixed up the analogy there, Vert…"

Neptune started shaking in her sleep a little, moaning, "Mmph… mmr… mmph…"

"Nep-Nep… are you feeling any better? Hurry and wake up." Compa told Neptune worriedly.

"It'll take some time before the effects appear, so let's wait." IF told her.

"Yeah, I mean, the antidote can't travel through her system THAT fast." Cameron agreed.

And just as those words left his lips, Neptune suddenly jumped off the couch faster than anyone could process, yelling, "Neptune, back in business!"

"Whaaaat?!" IF yelled, surprised, and rightfully so.

"*sob* *sniffle* ...Nep-Nep… it's Nep-Nep… *sob*" Compa got out, hugging Neptune as much as she possibly could.

"Ah…" Neptune said softly. "I'm sorry, Compa. Looks like I made everyone worried."

"Uh, hello? We're over here too, you know?" IF reminded.

"Oh yeah, super thanks to you too, Iffy and Cameron!" Neptune thanked. "Now this is what friends are about!"

"Neptune…" Cameron breathed. She was finally back. A weight was suddenly lifted off his shoulders. He felt like a new person, somehow.

"My, my, and no words of gratitude to me?" Vert asked.

"('・ω・') Ran-Ran too." Ran Ran added on.

Neptune stared at the two for a moment, before leaning over to Cameron and asking, "Uh… who are they?"

Cameron simply shook his head, and sat down on the couch previously occupied by Neptune. "I think we have a lot of explaining to do."

"Yep. That we do." IF agreed.

 _Neptune has joined the party!_

And so, the group began explaining…

 **And that's that!**

 _(Hmmm… is it just me, or did it seem like this chapter was shorter than usual?)_

 **It might be. I think it's a few words short, but still around 6000. That, and I think you commented a less than normal.**

(Are you slacking off on us, Butter?)

 **Have you met me? Slacking off is what I've been doing all the time lately. Hell, I still have to finish another chapter for my Minecraft story once this goes up.**

 _(_ _It would seem to me that you've bitten off slightly more than you could chew, Author._ _)_

 **Umm… Neptune, Noire? Did you both just talk at the same time?**

 _(That… wasn't me.)_

(Me neither.)

 _(_ _Over here, Author. I do believe you have another guest in your house._ _)_

 **What the hell? Vert? When did you get here?**

 _(And why are you mooching my italics?! I took those first!)_

(And my underlines!)

 _(_ _My, my! Please, calm down. If there was another way, I would've, but sadly, I can't think of any other text combos to use other than both italics and underline._ _)_

… **I'm starting to detect a pattern of when you all are coming to my place.**

 _(Still… I don't like how you're mooching my style. Literally!)_

 _(_ _I'm sorry. Anyway, I just came by to see what was going on. I heard there was a story going on lately, and I was put in it, so I naturally had to come to take a look._ _)_

 **As long as you actually help out and stuff, and don't just look over at my notes like these two do, then I'd be honored to let you take a look.**

 _(_ _Wonderful. I look forward to our cooperation together, Butter._ _)_

 **(*whispers* I certainly hope it doesn't self destruct on us…)**

 **Anyway my fellow readers, I hope you all enjoyed this new chapter. Neptune was saved! Huzzah! Now Neptune maybe won't keep saying to me that I'm not typing her name enough.**

 _(Hey! I'm right here, you know!)_

 **That's the point, Neptune.**

 **Anyway readers, I hope you liked this chapter! Hopefully I can get another chapter out before the new year, (is it just me, or wasn't it January just yesterday?) but I don't know. We'll just have to see.**

 **If you guys have any questions for me, PM me and I'll try to answer them as best I can. Until next time guys, stay awesome! =D**


	20. The Old Lady Returns

**Seasons greetings you awesome readers out there! It's ButterHunter, back with a new chapter! Just in time for the holidays too!**

Chapter 20: The Old Lady Returns

"...so, Lady Vert helped us save you." Compa wrapped up.

The group had spent the past hour or so explaining what had happened while Neptune was down for the count. IF and Cameron meeting Vert for the first time, the cell, the dungeon, making the antidote itself… everything.

Well… almost everything. The group had purposely left out that Cameron had decided to stay the night. Honestly, there was no real reason for it, they just felt… it should bit a little secret. Hey, what she doesn't know won't kill her.

 _(Aaaand now I know. Thanks, Butter!)_

"('・ω・') Ran-Ran, too!" Ran Ran added.

Neptune looked a bit shameful and embarrassed at the same time. "That wasn't very hero-like for me to get poisoned. Shame on me."

"I'm sorry, Nep." IF apologized, looking sad. "It could have been avoided, but I couldn't do it."

"Oh, you worry too much, Iffy." Neptune said cheerily. "C'mon, come at me like you usually do. After all, my jokes and puns don't shine without you or Cameron taking jabs at me."

IF actually looked a little better. "...Nep. I can't believe how quick you're back to normal despite all this."

"Hehehehe. Now that's my Iffy!" Neptune laughed, playing patting IF on the back. "Oh, and a thanks to you too, Vert, Ran-Ran."

"Please, it was my pleasure." Vert reassured with a smile, a small teacup in her hand. "But… you are a goddess too, so you do be careful."

"She's not wrong, Neptune." Cameron agreed, before realizing that no one, at least to his knowledge, had said anything about Neptune being a goddess. "Wait…"

"Uh, Lady Vert…?" IF stated to ask, realizing this as well. "Did you know Nep was a goddess?"

"Yes, from the very beginning." Vert answered.

"..."

"..."

"..."

'('・ω・') … (Ran-Ran will go with the flow and stay silent.)'

"Wait, why the silence?! Why is the air so cold all of a sudden?!" Neptune asked, breaking the silence. "Oh, wait, I know! Everyone's uncomfortable because I was fighting Vert in the Console War."

Cameron sighed. "And thus, we return to the bluntness of Neptune."

"Nep… you're really not helping to clear the air with your comments." IF nervously berated.

"Oh, right. Well, you know me. I really can't take this 'serious' feel." Neptune reminded awkwardly. "But, I can transform to kind of… outlast this serious scene."

 _(I mean, come on. Is it really that big of a surprise of how I act at this point?)_

Vert listened to Nep with a very curious expression. "My, I've only heard through rumor, but you are quite interesting. Iffy, Compa, Cameron, no need to worry. I'm not interested in the Console War."

"Really?" Compa asked.

"Why, if I was truly an enemy, I would not have helped at all, no?" Vert asked.

"But… as a goddess, why are you not interested in the Console War?" IF asked curiously.

"We have fought for a very long time by heading the word we received…" Vert started to explain.

"What do you mean 'word'?" Compa asked.

"We heed the word of the former goddess who had created us." Vert reiterated.

"So… the former goddess is kinda like… your mother, then?" Cameron summed up.

"I never truly saw the former goddess much as a mother, but I suppose so." Vert hesitantly replied, looking slightly unsure. "And, truth be told, as long as I have my games, I care less of being a god."

"That was quite blunt." Compa stated bluntly.

"The Lady is exceeding my expectations… in a bad way…" IF mumbled to herself.

 _(Oh yeah, that reminds me! I never did get anything out of that bet, did I? Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm not wrong, so I think I need to pay Iffy a visit!)_

Suddenly, Vert looked very serious. "What's your thoughts, Neptune? Do you want to gain rule of the world?"

"Hmmm… well, I'm not really sure." Neptune replied honestly. "Especially without my memory."

"Is that so?" Vert asked.

"Oh yeah, we never did mention that, did we?" Cameron realized. "Apart from her name, Neptune can't remember a thing about her past. As, well, as well as me."

"I can confirm that." Compa added. "Both Cameron and Nep-Nep have had amnesia for quite some time now."

"Heh, I actually learned I'm a goddess from Noire." Neptune explained.

"Noire…?" Vert asked, like the name was foreign to her. Then, she understood. "Ah, Lastation's goddess. So that means you've already…"

"Yes. She didn't seem to like Nep-Nep at first, but now they're best buddies."

"Well, best buddies is kiiiinda stretching it." Cameron corrected. "But she definitely changed from when we first found her."

"I'm honestly amazed that you could get along with that hard-headed Noire…" Vert said, almost impressed.

"Well, I am the main heroine of the story, after all! Yay!" Neptune cheered happily.

"Yeah, well, I'm the main hero, so hah." Cameron replied, a smug look on his face. This only prompted Neptune to stick her tongue out at him.

"...it would seem that I can trust you with what I wanted to speak on." Vert said.

"Oh? Like inviting us to play online?" Neptune guessed. "I don't mind, but I want to be an elf."

"My, I would love to have you all join my sessions, but that's not it." Vert giggled a bit. "What I wanted to… oh my, it's so late."

The group looked out the window to see, indeed, the sun was stated to set slowly. "Well, could you all come back tomorrow?"

"We would, but the Basilicom thinks we're messengers of Momus…" IF reminded Vert slowly.

"Well, that's not of concern." Vert said. "I will take care of everything, so Iffy, please rest up."

 _(No words of love to Neppy? Huh?)_

"('・ω・') (No one noticed me…)" Ran Ran whispered in a corner, looking sad. She quickly retreated away somewhere else in the Basiicom.

The group started to head out, until Vert called out. "Oh, I almost forgot. Cameron, would you come back for a moment?"

Cameron, after shooting a confused look back to his friends, came back into Vert's room. The others presumably headed back to where the hotel was.

"Yes, Lady Vert?" Cameron asked respectfully.

"I do believe I have something of yours." Vert said, holding out Cameron's sword and arm cannon.

"My weapons!" Cameron exclaimed joyfully. "Where were they?"

"Oh, they were actually in the cell right next to where you were being held." Vert responded, while Cameron put his stuff back on. "They were in a box labeled, 'To Be Sorted Later.'"

"Go figure." Cameron said, his eyes rolling. He put his stuff back on fully and tested everything out a little bit. Everything still worked exactly as he remembered. "At least no one messed around with my stuff."

"Yes, that is good." Vert agreed.

She looked around her room, humming a little as she looked at all of her memorabilia. Cameron wasn't sure what to say now. It did give him plenty of time to look around himself.

"You… you have quite the collection, Lady Vert." Cameron spoke up.

"Please, just call me Vert." Vert asked of him. "I prefer it over formalities."

"If you say so, I guess." Cameron shrugged.

The two were in an awkward silence for a few moments, not really sure what to say.

 _(How about… 'So, how's the online stuff going?' Start small.)_

Cameron couldn't help but start to let his mind wander a bit. His eyes slowly started looking at Vert, whose eyes were closed. She… she was really quite beautiful. Her hair almost seemed to shine in the light of the sun, and her face seemed to possess a timeless beauty. Not hard considering she was a goddess, but still.

But Cameron's eyes eventually lowered a bit more to Vert's chest. He tried to pull away, but his eyes refused. They… they looked perfect. Round, smooth, and very, very large.

'They're so… huge…' Cameron said in his mind.

"Cameron?" Vert suddenly spoke up.

Cameron blinked and pried his eyes upward, his face suddenly burning. "Y-y-yes, Vert?" he stuttered.

"Were you… staring at me a moment ago?" Vert asked. But not in a negative way.

"Uhhh…" Cameron stated. "Yes! I mean, no! I mean, yes! I mean…!"

While Cameron struggled to keep his cool, Vert simply… giggled at his nervous breakdown.

"Cameron…" she said, walking towards him. Slowly. Seductively.

Cameron's face turned redder than a tomato, but his legs refused to move. In a moment, Vert was practically standing on top of him, gazing into his eyes.

"Ummmmm… V-Vert?" Cameron managed to get out.

"I caught you staring~" Vert teased, in a soft sing-song voice, gently poking his nose. "I caught you staring~"

"V-V-Vert, i-it wasn't like that…!" Cameron tried to say, but his voice was stammering so badly that he wasn't sure she understood him.

"Oh? Then what was it~?" Vert asked him slowly, a hand gently resting on his chest.

"Uh… umm…" Cameron slowly looked left and right, trying to find a lifeline to get out of this. This was all happening too fast for him to process.

Vert giggled softly. "I think we both know what you were thinking~~" Vert cooed.

'Oh no, she used a two tildes!' Cameron thought rapidly. 'That's even more suggestive than one!'

 _(Quick! Make like a tree and leaf! Or make like a… a… dang it, I'm out.)_

"U-um, Vert, I… I think I really should be getting back to Neptune and the others." Cameron tried, attempting to step-side Vert.

"Why?" Vert asked softly, hands creeping up to cup his shoulders. "I thought you'd want to spend… a little more time together. Was I… wrong?"

"Th-that's… that's not what I was implying!" Cameron denied, slowly backing up away from Vert. She followed after.

"Why are you running away, then?" Vert asked.

"I-I-I'm not running away!" Cameron denied. "I'm just… trying to stay a safe distance as to not make you uncomfortable."

Suddenly, Cameron backed up another step and hit a wall. He was cornered. Vert's eyes suddenly seemed a lot more… well, a description wouldn't do it justice. You'd have to see it to understand it.

"You know… you look very… cute when you get nervous." Vert told him slowly, gently taking a hold of his left hand. Her face was barely an inch away from his.

"U-um…" Cameron managed. What the hell else could he say? This was all happening way too fast for his mind to keep up.

"Tell me… why were you so adamant on keeping Neptune safe?" Vert asked him suddenly, backing up a little bit. Just a little. "I can understand wanting to keep someone you care about safe, but that… that seemed like there was more than I was being let on about."

"W-what? Where… where's this coming from?" he asked slowly.

Vert responded, "I just want to know. Why were you so concerned?"

The room was quiet for a few moments. Cameron was thrown for a double curveball. He wasn't sure of how Vert suddenly derailed the conversation from straight up flirting to sudden talk about Neptune.

Finally, Cameron spoke up. "I-I don't know what this is suddenly, but if you need to know, Neptune is… she's been a really good friend to me."

"I could tell that much." Vert replied. "But there still feels like… something more."

Cameron didn't want to tell her. How was he supposed to explain to another goddess that he fell in love with a goddess?

And what's worse… Neptune wasn't the ONLY person who liked him.

After all, Neptune, Compa, AND IF all loved him. How the hell are you supposed to calmly explain that?

'Oh no… IF…' Cameron suddenly thought. 'If Vert finds out… then their relationship won't ever be the same!'

Against his will, he started sweating in panic. His face was rapidly losing the flushed look to become pale. 'I… I can't let her know about that! She'll never think of IF the same again!'

So he lied.

"N-no, my Lady." Cameron got out, hoping his face wasn't giving his lie away. "Th-there's… there's nothing going on at all. I promise."

Vert looked suspicious. "Are you sure?"

"Y-yes." Cameron replied.

"Because you know I can tell you're lying, right?"

Cameron's heart literally skipped a beat. "Wh-what?"

"You aren't being truthful with me." Vert responded. "You just called me, 'my Lady' again. You're so nervous, you're trying to be formal to compensate."

 _(Man, Vert really IS a detective, isn't she?)_

"I… that's…"

Vert sighed. She slowly backed up away from Cameron, looking… disappointed?

"I thought friends could trust each other." Vert suddenly told him, not looking at him.

"Wha-?"

"I thought friends could be the people you could confide in. I thought friends could always rely on each other." Vert continued. "Was I wrong, then, about our friendship?"

"N-no!" Cameron said, looking scared. "No, of course not!"

"Then why can't you be honest with me?" Vert asked, glancing back over.

"It…" Cameron tried. "It's… complicated. I… I don't want to say something that might hurt someone else."

Vert seemed down for a few seconds. Cameron felt like he was slowly being torn in two. But… could he even bring himself to say his true thoughts?

Vert sighed gently, then spoke up again. "Well… if you don't want to say what's on your mind, then I'll not pry. But if you ever do want to talk… you know where to find me."

Slowly, she sat down on her couch and seemed to become in deep thought. Cameron wasn't sure what to do. His body was practically BEGGING him to spill the metaphorical beans, but his mind was resisting. The door was right there. He could leave at any time.

But a minute passed. Then two. Still, Cameron had not moved.

Vert looked up, and still saw him standing in that corner, conflicted on what he should do, or say. She sighed gently, before standing up and returning over to Cameron.

"Cameron…" she said, before hugging him.

"Wha-?!" Cameron shouted, jarred out of his thoughts. "Wh-what's this all the sudden?!"

Vert didn't respond. Slowly, Cameron felt himself relaxing. This wasn't like before, where Vert was trying to get the two as close as possible. This just felt like… like a simple, comforting hug.

After a moment, Cameron hugged her back. She was easily the tallest goddess he knew so far, yet still he was the taller of the two. Vert shifted deeper into his arms when he hugged her, gently sighing in approval.

No one was sure when they decided to part, but when they did, they couldn't help but look into each other's eyes for a moment.

Just for a moment.

But in that moment, Cameron finally started feeling his resistance giving in.

Looking into her eyes, he could see… a sort of sadness that her friend was being secretive. It was a sadness that hadn't been there before, when they first met. It looked recent.

Cameron knew, that even if he could keep up his lie, then it would crash and burn even harder when she did learn the truth. So, he did the right thing.

And came clean.

"Vert… about… about Neptune…" Cameron said, looking down at the ground, his face starting to burn.

"Hm?" Vert tilted her head.

"I… the reason I wanted Neptune to stay safe, was… well…" Cameron started. "We… we… really, really care about each other… like… REALLY, really care."

Vert tilted her head to the side in a confused manner. "What are you…"

"We… we…" Cameron stammered, his face burning hotter than lava. He couldn't look Vert in the eye. "We… like each other. I mean, a lot."

If Cameron wasn't looking at the ground trying to avoid eye contact, he would've seen Vert's eyes grow just a little bit bigger. But it was too late to take anything back. The jig was up.

'Oh… oh my.' Vert thought to herself, looking at the burning blush Cameron's cheeks held. 'So that's why… because they… like each other? And if I had to guess…'

"And… let me guess." Vert asked softly. "Compa and Iffy?"

Cameron could only nod. His blush thickened further. He couldn't bring himself to say it.

But if anything, Vert didn't seem all that grossed out. Hell, she barely looked surprised for that matter. She looked… like she understood.

Slowly, she pushed Cameron's chin up until he had no choice but to look into her eyes. "Cameron…" she said softly.

"Y-yes?" Cameron asked, suddenly nervous.

"Why were you so nervous about telling me that?" she asked.

 _(AWWW, I thought they were gonna kiss you dolt! Why didn't they kiss?!)_

 **(Umm… Neptune? You already lived this story, remember? Why are you commenting on something you already know about?)**

 _(Because I can! Now why didn't they kiss?!)_

 **(Because plot. Now quit your yapping and just let the story tell itself for a while.)**

"Wh-what?"

"Why were you nervous about telling me that?" Vert repeated.

"Be-because… well, that's not something you just go flaunting about in public, that you have three cute girls who all love you at the same time, you know!" Cameron nervously told her, his face still burning. "A-and, well… I-IF, she… she'll never forgive me for telling you this. She's very cautious about our relationship. We don't spend as much time together when compared to Neptune or Compa. I… I was worried that if I told you… you'd never be able to see her in the same light."

Cameron fully looked down at the ground, his face red from embarrassment and slight shame. Emotions were swirling around in his mind at a million miles an hour. IF would never let this down. She'd be angry at him for the rest of their lives. Even if Vert was okay with it, how could Cameron just tell IF that he just spilled his guts out about their relationship to her goddess? And more importantly, the fact that he included Neptune and Compa.

"They always say honesty is the best policy." Cameron murmured. "That saying the truth will always be better than lying."

"Well? Does it feel better?" Vert asked him gently.

"No." Cameron instantly said. "I feel like garbage."

"No one ever said being honest was easy." Vert reminded him. "The fact that you did come clean says a lot, even if you don't realize it."

Cameron stayed quiet.

A few moment passed again, in which Cameron had to decide what he was going to do. Either tell IF that he just let IF in on his big secret, and risk losing her friendship, or not say anything to her, and hope that it never comes up again. Honestly, he wasn't sure which option was worse.

"Ugh…" Cameron sighed, slumping down to the ground. "What am I gonna do…? I can't keep this from her… but I don't want to tell her… the guilt alone is gonna make me crack eventually…"

Vert slowly sat down next to him and put a hand on his shoulder, gently rubbing it back and forth. "It's okay… it's okay."

It took him a few minutes, but Cameron eventually was able to get back onto his feet. Vert kept a hand on his shoulder the whole time.

"You know… there's always other options." Vert told him. "Sure, you could tell Iffy, or not. But is that really the ONLY options you have?"

"H… huh?" Cameron asked, looking up.

"After all… there's always the option of BOTH of us talking to her." Vert reminded him. "Maybe that way… she'll be calmer about it."

"Or break into an embarrassed mess faster." Cameron rebutted.

"Yes, that is a possibility…" Vert admitted. "Still, it's a better plan than just twiddling our thumbs and hoping that nothing bad happens. You have to see that, right?"

Cameron did agree that she had a point. Talking with IF two-on-one might be better than just one telling the other. But still… he couldn't help but feel there was a lot he was putting on the line here.

"Well… if you think that we can make it work…" Cameron slowly started. "Then… I guess we should tell her together."

"Perfect. I'll email her now." Vert said, pulling out her phone.

"W-wait, what? W-we're doing it NOW?" Cameron asked, starting to sweat. "I-I can't just clean my conscious NOW of all times!"

"The longer you wait, the worse it's going to get, Cameron." Vert reminded him, quickly writing a message on her phone.

"I-I know that, but…" Cameron started.

"It's better to just be upfront with her, especially if you really care about her." Vert added, finishing her message. She allowed Cameron to view it before she sent it.

It read, ' _Dear Iffy, please come to the Basilicom ASAP. I have an important message to talk with you alone about.'_

"Short, sweet, and to the point." Vert told him, sending it.

Cameron took a long, deep breath to try and calm his nerves. "W-well… it'll still take a while before she gets here… so I guess I can take some comfort in that."

Vert shrugged. "I suppose. Now, you wait here while I make some more tea. I feel there is going to be a lot to talk about."

 _Several minutes later…_

 _(Aaaaand prepare for Iffy to shout in three… two… one…)_

"You did WHAT?!"

IF looked flabbergasted. She had arrived just moments before. Cameron and Vert just told her the news.

"Y-y-y-you… t-told her?!" IF asked, stammering badly.

"Y… yes…" Cameron admitted, his head hanging. "I… I couldn't keep a lie to her."

IF slowly took a few deep breaths, her face burning. "O-okay… tell me… exactly… what happened… please."

"With pleasure." Vert agreed. She launched into a brief speal about how she found Cameron's weapons and returned them, then remembered about how Cameron had specifically avoided talking about the relationship he had with Neptune and the others.

Thankfully, she left out the part where she teased him first, the lower his guard. Honestly, the LAST thing Cameron needed right now was to tell that to an already flabbergasted IF.

Anyway, after she realized this, she tried to ask Cameron what was going on, but Cameron resisted, saying he didn't want to hurt anyone's feeling.

Cameron jumped in from here. He explained that, even if he could keep the lie, he knew it would just crash and burn harder when the truth was, well, truly revealed. So he came clean, and now, here they are.

IF listened to all this, her blush having only partly retreated in the time they spent explaining. By now the sun was already past the horizon, and night was starting to fall. But that didn't stop the trio from talking.

"S-so… you know…" IF started. "You know our… secret."

"I honestly don't see what the problem is." Vert admitted. Cameron and IF looked at her, confused. "Well, is there really a problem?"

"Uh, yeah!" Cameron reminded her. "How are we supposed to stay calm and act normal around you when you know this thing that's happening between us?"

"And even worse… it's you…" IF admitted. "It'd be bad enough if it was just some random person on the street, but… it's you, a goddess…"

"Aaaaand?" Vert asked.

"How… how are you so calm at a time like this?!" Cameron asked ludicrously.

"I really don't know what there's to make a big fuss about." Vert responded. "If that's how you all feel about each other… who am I to argue about it? After all, why would I want to control your relationship?"

Cameron and IF tried to think of something to say, but drew up a big ole' blank. "Uh… um…" Cameron mumbled.

"I personally see no reason to complicate matters by creating unnecessary drama." Vert continued. "If that is the way you want to be, then why should I try to interfere?"

Cameron and IF we're both surprised and oddly relieved to the core hearing those words from Vert. They looked at each other, unsure of what to really say.

"Now… it is very late. I'd love to have you both for a slumber party, but I have things to take care of." Vert concluded, standing up and turning. Cameron could faintly hear her mumbling under her breath, "Let's see how you feel after I get my revenge on you, **(insert generic online username)** ," just as she disappeared into the other room.

 _(Uhhhh… what?)_

 **(If you haven't figured it out by now, I'm awful at naming things. So, why try to waste time thinking about it, when there's still so much story to type?)**

 _(...true. Moving on.)_

"*sigh*..." Cameron sighed. "So… guess the cat's out of the bag now, huh?"

He couldn't make himself look into IF's eyes. "IF, I'm… I'm sorry you had to find out this way. Honestly, if you were around, I think I would've been able to resist, but…"

His head hung a little lower as he stated, "I understand if you're mad at me. I understand if you hate me. I understand if you don't ever want to talk to me again."

IF slowly watched Cameron unwind. He seemed so disappointed in himself…

"I…" IF started slowly. "I don't hate you."

Cameron looked up at IF, confused. "Wh-what?"

"I… I'm not mad." IF told him, switching chairs to sit next to him. "You… you make it kinda hard to hate you, really. And… I don't think we could've kept this a secret anyway, even if we wanted to."

"But… surely, you didn't expect Vert to simply shake the truth out of me like that?" Cameron asked.

"No, definitely not." IF agreed. "But… I sorta knew that no matter how hard we could try, we would never be able to keep a lie from her."

Cameron sat up straight again, looking into IF's eyes. "But… won't things be weird now? I mean, weirder than they've already been? Now that Vert knows…"

"That… that doesn't mean anything bad." IF said. "Like she said, it doesn't matter if we were together or not. Why should she pry? Why WOULD she pry?"

Cameron was quiet.

"Look…" IF said, wrapping her arms around Cameron. "I know… we haven't had a lot of time to spend alone together. That's just as much my fault as you think it's yours. But… I still really like you, Cameron. Like, more than you really know."

"So… let's just put Lady Vert off to the side for now. Let's just worry about us for a change. Let's go back to the hotel, and… well, be together for once." IF said. Then, blushing at her phrasing, continued, "Uh, not in THAT sense, of course."

Cameron laughed a little. "Right. Of course." he said, slowly gazing into IF's eyes. They… they were so clear… so nice to look at.

They looked each other in the eyes for a long time. Finally, to ease his own nerves, Cameron laughed a little again and said jokingly, "Do you know I have a thing for burnettes?"

IF blushed and giggled a little bit, just noticing how close he was holding her. Slowly, she gazed back into his warm, inviting eyes.

It took only three seconds more for the two of them to move forward and kiss gently. They're hearts were beating in perfect unison. They pulled each other as close as they possibly could, wanting to stay together like this… forever.

The sweet display was thankfully away from prying eyes. In the comfort of Vert's room, no one could see them…

Save for the Lady herself.

'Oh, my…' Vert thought, seeing the two gently kiss each other. She had been spying on them for only ten seconds before they kissed, and now she was watching with full attention. 'So, they really do have strong feeling for each other…'

Slowly, Cameron and IF parted, and, without saying anything, headed out, back to the hotel. Vert slowly entered to main room behind them, gently smiling the whole way.

"Hopefully… they'll still be willing to listen to my problem tomorrow…" Vert told herself. "It's… it's a large issue."

She sighed, and glanced at her phone. At Iffy's email.

"Iffy… Cameron… Compa… Neptune…" Vert said softly, a sort of… desperation in her voice. "I beg of you… you all have to come back tomorrow."

 _Tomorrow…_

'Well… here we are again.'

Cameron looked up at the Basilicom. The group had just had a large breakfast in preparation for the day ahead. But now, as they approached, an unmistakeable feeling of worry in the pit of their stomachs was starting to surface.

Compa was the first one to put this into light. "It feels a bit weird to head into the Basilicom after all that." she said, nervously looking at the door.

"I'm sure Lady Vert has this all figured out." IF reassured, the both Compa and herself. "Let's head inside."

The first thing that the group noticed when they opened the doors was Yvoire, standing a fair distance away. He looked… pale, almost. Like he hadn't been able to sleep well, or something drastic had recently happened to him.

"SORRY MA'AM!" he practically shouted when the group approached.

"Yikes!" Compa shouted, covering her ears.

"SORRY FOR THE PROBLEMS LAST TIME!" Yvoire said at the same volume.

Neptune nervously laughed and asked, "Wow, who would've thought that you can be terrified from an apology?"

"Um… what's this all about…?" IF asked gently.

Just then, Vert came out from a nearby door. "Ah, Iffy. I've been waiting for you."

"I… guess this means we're in the clear?" Cameron asked.

"Yes, no need to worry anymore." Vert answered, smiling happily. She turned to Yvoire as she added, "I've 'asked' Yvoire kindly to not do this again. Isn't that right, Yvoire?"

Yvoire shuddered deeply. "Y-yes! I-I will never do it again, so please forgive me!"

Cameron gave Vert a sideways look that asked, 'What on earth did you DO to this man?'

"Woah. He's really freaked out." Neptune commented.

"I'm not even going to ask what 'asked' means…" IF decided, shaking her head.

Vert simply smiled at them. "Oh my, that is a 'special' secret, isn't it, Yvoire?" Vert asked.

Yvoire shuddered even harder. He lightly screamed in fear, shaking badly.

"Now, there is something of urgency I need to speak of. Follow me to my room." Vert told the group, leading them through the door she had come from.

Soon, everyone was sitting down in the chairs and couch in Vert's room. Vert quickly got down to business. "To be perfectly frank with you all, I need your help to recover my stolen power as a goddess."

"That was like a straight ball down the middle." IF said, surprised.

"More like a punch right in the face." Cameron countered. "Um… what exactly do you mean by that?"

"... it was on a day that I returned from an event that I attended in secret." Vert explained, closing her eyes to remember the day. "I was tired after a whole day of walking with goods I had bought at the event. Then, suddenly, someone attacked me. The next thing I knew, my power was gone."

"Oh, I can relate. All that walking at an event can really tire you out." Neptune said.

"So… what happens when you don't have your power as a goddess?" Compa asked.

"Well, I start aging like normal, and I cannot use Hard Drive Divinity." Vert answered sadly.

"I see… so that's why Lady Vert didn't use HDD at all." IF realized.

"So… that means you're just like me?" Cameron asked. "A normal person?"

"Exactly." Vert responded. "Hence, I need the power back to prevent my aging process. Losing beauty and the ability to play in future titles is fear itself. I must stop this aging at any cost!"

"Compa. Tell me what to do here. Should I point out some things?" IF asked.

"I don't know, but I think it's best to leave it alone…" Compa responded.

"So, for me to play games for eternity, I need you to capture the culprit." Vert said, like that was as simple as buying milk at the store.

 **(Is that a reference anyone gets anymore?)**

"Understood." IF quickly agreed. "We'll help. After all, we need to repay you for helping Nep."

"I could not discuss this with the Basilicom, so thank you." Vert said, relieved.

"Wait, so no one in the Basilicom knows this?" Compa asked.

"Right. I cannot relay details that could cause concern to the public." Vert responded.

"After all, how would you feel if Neptune suddenly lost her powers, and she told that to everyone in Planeptune?" Cameron asked. "It'd probably cause a mass panic.

"Wait… the real reason you were playing games in your room was…" IF started.

"As sharp as ever, Iffy. I was trying to avoid contact with everyone." Vert answered. "Well, that and because of the major update to the online game rules too."

Out of nowhere, a cell phone started to ring. "Iffy, there's a call for you." Neptune told her.

"That's not my cell ringing." IF responded, looking at her belt.

"Excuse me. It seems like it's mine." Vert said, pulling out her phone. She answered it and said, "Hello there?"

"('・ω・') Lady Vert, Lady Vert." a voice came through. Ran Ran's voice. Vert quickly put the phone on speaker.

"Yes? Did you…?" Vert asked.

"('・ω・') Ran-Ran found the enemy!" Ran Ran told her.

"Wonderful! Where is this enemy now?" Vert asked determinedly.

"('・ω・') Ran-Ran can see the enemy going to Lowee." Ran Ran answered nervously. "Please hurry."

"What perfect timing." Vert commented, looking to the whole group. "We will head there now, so hold the enemy off."

"('・ω・') Roger!" Ran Ran said, sounding like Ran Ran just saluted again. With a beep, the call ended.

"What was that about?" Neptune asked.

"Ran-Ran spotted the enemy who took my power. I'll explain on the way." Vert told her, standing up.

The others followed suit, and quickly everyone darted out of the Basilicom.

 _A few minutes later…_

The party eventually arrived at the destination, a place called 'Halo Mountain.'

"So, how did you find out about the culprit?" IF asked.

"That was easy." Vert responded. "Yvoire said that a Lowee evangelist, Conversation, was pulling strings."

"Conversation…" IF said, the name sounding both familiar and totally unheard of, in an odd way.

"Do you know this 'Conversation?'" Vert asked.

"No… never heard of that one. Now about you, Nep?" IF asked.

"I know what a conveyer belt is!" Nep said proudly. Cameron introduced his face to his right hand again.

"I'm not in the mood for jokes now…" IF berated. "How about you, Compa?"

"I've never heard of that name either." Compa replied.

"My intuition tells me that this Conversation is the one who stole my power." Vert told the group.

"How can you tell?" Compa asked.

"My sixth sense…? In all seriousness, it is because only Neptune was targeted. Despite the motive to kill Overlord worshippers, Iffy, Compa, Cameron, and Freddy were all spared."

"True…" IF mumbled.

"So I suspect Neptune was targeted, because she is a goddess." Vert summed up. "I doubt there are many who seek to harm the goddesses."

"... when you put it like that, everything seems to point to someone under Lady White Heart as the culprit." Cameron slowly pieced together. "But why though?"

"Oooh! This is starting to sound like a mystery novel!" Neptune said excitedly.

"I agree with Cameron. Why would Nep-Nep's life be targeted while Lady Vert was spared?" Compa asked curiously.

"I assume it was because they knew I had no interest in the Console War, so they let me live." Vert guessed.

"That… strangely makes sense. Lady Vert, that was amazing" IF said, deeply impressed.

"Oh, all I did was use sane evaluation through what we knew already." Vert told her.

The group started to head into the mountain range. Thankfully, the enemies, while they still wanted to pick a fight, they still weren't that much of a challenge.

Cameron started to have a feeling of dread in his stomach. Something bad felt like it was going to happen soon. He just knew it. The question was… when?

The feeling of dread only grew the further they all made into the dungeon. By the time they were halfway in, Cameron started becoming a little dizzy from dread.

Due to that, he was walking a bit slower than everyone else, just enough to make it not seem worrying.

Of course, there was one person who noticed.

"Cameron, are you alright?" Vert asked him gently, walking alongside him. "You look pale."

"Mm…" Cameron hummed, glancing at the goddess. "Oh, sorry. I… I'm just a little worried about how this is all going to pan out."

"Really?" Vert asked.

"Well… yeah." Cameron responded. "After all, we don't know how this is all going to go down. The best we can do is hope for the best, but… I don't know, I'm just too paranoid for my own good."

"Maybe you should take a rest from fighting for a while." Vert suggested. "You'll need all your wits about you when we find the culprit.

"True…" Cameron agreed, nodding his head. "Alright, I'll switch out with IF for now. But I'm jumping back in once I feel better."

"Fair enough. Now come on. We're losing the others." Vert said, wrapping an arm around his torso and walking to the others.

Cameron's heart started to beat just a little bit harder when Vert did that. Sure, he didn't really know a whole lot about the woman, but… he couldn't deny that he liked the parts that he had seen. And that wasn't even including the fact that she was a hardcore gamer, which was an even bigger factor.

A feeling started to replace the dread in his stomach: a light, fluttery feeling, that felt good but also jittery at the same time. Was… was this what he thought it was?

'Sur… surely I'm not falling for another girl barely a few days after meeting her again, right?' Cameron asked himself.

Soon enough, Cameron felt much better. Sure, he was still dreading the moment they did find the culprit, but he felt like he could actually stand and not fall over now.

Eventually, twenty or thirty minutes after the party had arrived at the dungeon, noises could be heard coming up ahead. Someone was talking.

"('・ω・') Like Ran-Ran said, older ladies can't pass." a voice said up ahead. Anyone with have a brain would know that it was Ran Ran. The party quickened their pace.

"Who are you calling an old lady?!" another voice asked indignantly, sounding insulted.

It was then that Ran Ran held up a mirror.

"You dare…?!" the second voice said. The party had come into view of the two. No doubt about it, it was Conversation, right down to the robe and pink hair. "I'll turn you into ashes!"

"(' ; ω ; ') Ayeee!" Ran Ran squealed, terrified.

"That's about as far as you go, Conversation!" IF yelled out, her blades already drawn.

Neptune looked pissed herself. "How dare you try to kill me! I won't let you get away with it!"

"Tch! You were just buying time?!" Conversation angrily yelled at Ran Ran.

"Well done, Ran-Ran." Vert praised.

"('・ω・') Ran-Ran is scared of that granny…" Ran Ran cried.

"Oh, so now I'm a granny?!" Conversation asked furiously. Ran Ran squealed again, shaking badly.

"We'll take care of the rest. You hide somewhere, away from danger." Vert told her.

Ran Ran didn't need telling twice. "('・ω・') Ran-Ran will go and hide." she whispered, running away.

Vert turned to Conversation, a fire in her eyes now. "Conversation, was it? I would like to get back what you took from me."

"Oh? I thought you were just an otaku sissy, but you've done well." Conversation taunted.

"HEY! Otakus are awesome!" Cameron yelled, his sword arm itching to start swinging.

"My, don't underestimate an gaming otaku, will you?" Vert asked, flashing an approving smile at Cameron. "Your method was starkly similar to a mystery game I just cleared."

Neptune seemed slightly impressed. "Ooh! The birth of a new detective, Sherlock Vert!"

"Yes, and a gaming one at that, too!" Compa tagged on.

Conversation seemed thrown for a slight loop. "How dare the publisher mimic my plans into a game! After I defeat you, I will destroy that publisher who got in my way!"

Suddenly, in a move that was fit for a Hollywood movie, Conversation threw off the robe. Underneath…

"So that's your true form?" Vert asked. "Well, I won't let you destroy any publishers!"

"Hot flaming plot twist!" Cameron yelled, his eyes widening. He knew that pale skin, that ugly hat, and those clothes that showed off WAY more than he would've liked.

"Hey!" Neptune yelled, seeing her too. "That's the elderly lady we met at Planeptune!"

"Ha! Conversation is my fake form!" the one and only Arfoire called out, looking smug.

"You… know who she is?" Vert asked Compa.

"Yes. She's a bad person who tried to take away our Key Fragment." Compa responded angrily.

"She kicked me in the gut just to get the damn thing!" Cameron added on.

"And I must repay you for the last time. The same will not happen again!" Arfoire taunted.

"Oh-ho! So it's on! Well, then…" Neptune started, looking determined. In a flash, she transformed into Purple Heart. "If you are going to fight, then I won't go easy on you."

"Well, let's see how well you fare, then!" Arfoire called out, pulling out her massive spear.

 _Battle start._

Cameron, Purple Heart, Compa, and Vert took their stances at start of the battle. Although they had gotten stronger, likey so had Arfoire. They couldn't chance anything with her.

Arfoire had first move. She quickly darted forward and slammed her spear into Cameron, which, while not fatal, still hurt like being slapped across the face. With an iron fist.

Thankfully, he recovered quickly, and retaliated with a 'Missile Gunner'. All shots hit their mark, doing decent starting damage to Arfoire.

Compa went and quickly patched up Cameron as fast as possible. And now, Purple Heart was up. She charged up and quickly used a new move.

The surroundings became dark. Like, REALLY dark. Darker than most skills were.

Purple Heart seemed to be charging up an enormous amount of energy. As she reached the peak, words appeared above her head.

'Neptune Break.'

"This is my special!" she chanted, pulling her sword up and above her head. She brought it down to her side, and charged.

Purple Heart was striking Arfoire so many times so fast that it was almost impossible to follow her. Even after striking Arfoire so many times everyone else lost count, she wasn't done.

She paused quickly, and charged up one last time. "This is it!" she yelled, flipping her sword in the air, catching it, and charging even FASTER again. She struck Arfoire, sending the woman into the air, flew up and batted her again, and finally, dive bombed straight down, taking Arfoire with her. The force of the impact made a massive purple pillar of light appear right where they struck the ground, which dissipated quickly.

Needless to say, the attack was insane, and did a VERY satisfying amount of damage, knocking Arfoire down nearly a whole quarter of her HP.

The battle did take a while after that. Apparently they hadn't really charged up the 'EXE Drive,' a whole lot, (which Cameron didn't even realize they had until just now.) so they only had one tick filled in still. True, Purple Heart could do Neptune Break again, as it only took one tick full, but she decided to keep that saved just in case.

Eventually, after a hard battle, Arfoire was nearly down for the count. But this was only causing her to fight with even more savagery, in a last ditch attempt to get something done.

She charged Purple Heart again, and started whaling on her. The goddesses couldn't get out of the way in time, so she was hit with every blow. Even with her buffed up stats, Purple Heart was hurting badly.

Cameron started seeing red again. He just lost Neptune once. He wasn't about to lose her again!

He charged Arfoire, collapsing his arm cannon, and used a skill he learned just before this fight. Words appeared above his head that read, 'Helicopter Kick.'

"Time for a little flight!" he yelled, kicking Arfoire up. He jumped up himself and then started spinning in air. His legs were both keeping him in the air, somehow making him and Arfoire rise HIGHER, and doing damage.

Once he couldn't keep twirling in air any longer, he kicked Arfoire downward, doing another large hit. Arfoire finally couldn't take it.

Cameron landed safely near Purple Heart, who looked both stunned and impressed. "Since when have you been able to do that?"

"Since I realized my fists and legs were weapons." he replied cheekily.

Arfoire groaned, weakly getting back to her feet. "I… I can't believe I'm being… overwhelmed…!"

"I am not planning on taking your life." Vert angrily replied. "Now, return my powers at once!"

"Oh?" Arfoire noticed, suddenly interested. "Despite being a game addict, you still aspire to be a goddess?"

"Praising me will get you nowhere." Vert commented with a small smirk.

"What?! You thought I was praising you?!" Arfoire asked. "No matter… let's see how well you hold against my true power!"

"How cliche. Just like the evildoers from an anime." Purple Heart commented.

"Well, think how you like." Arfoire snapped. "But, let's see if this will change your thinking!"

Laughing maniacally, Arfoire took a step back. Suddenly, a bright beam of light encased HER. "W-wait, what's happening?!" Cameron yelled.

When the light subsided, there was… wait, what?

"Th-that form…?!" Vert said, shocked. It… it was her HDD form, right in front of her!

The fake Green Heart laughed. "Yes! I will use YOUR power to destroy you all! Now die!"

And with that, she charged.

 _(Hey, wait, you didn't describe what Green Heart looks like.)_

 **Well, technically it's not the true Green Heart yet. It's Arfoire using that form. I feel like I should wait until Green Heart is really Green Heart before going out on a describing marathon.**

 _(You're the boss, I guess.)_

 _(_ _Wait… are you leaving it off here? Just as it was about to reach the climax of the fight?_ _)_

 **Sorry Vert. You'll have to wait until I get another chapter out before we go into that. And before you ask why, let me remind you that we are almost over 7,600 words for this chapter at this point. So I don't think I should even try to fight a whole fight and a half in.**

 _(_ _Awww…._ _)_

 **Hey, don't blame me. I'd rather not give the readers so much story that they choke on it. Besides, now we have a point that the readers are thinking, 'I wonder what is gonna happen now?!' and so, they'll most certainly be back once I get the next chapter up. In about ten years. And after OBaaT gets updated.**

(And you wonder why we think you might need our help.)

 **Hey, just be glad that I'm not working on any other stories full time. Then there'd be three stories at once, and I doubt I can handle that. Well… maybe I could. I don't know. If the readers show enough interest, I might… *wink, wink***

 **Anyway folks, I hope you all enjoyed the new chapter! For those of you wonder, yes the next Minecraft chapter is coming out soon, I promise. I'm just… lazy. That and final exams week.**

 **As always, if you guys have any questions, PM me and I'll try to answer them as soon as possible, internet permitting. Until next time, stay awesome. 3**


	21. Two Down, Two to Go

**Hello my awesome readers! It's ButterHunter, back with another chapter to HDN, VC!**

 **Why are you still listening to me talk? Let's go!**

Chapter 21: Two Down, Two to Go

 _Battle start._

Purple Heart, Vert, Cameron, and Compa stood at the ready at this sudden second attack from Arfoire, who had suddenly just transformed into a fake version of Lady Green Heart.

The fake Green Heart, with a small, sadistic giggle, moved forward and targeted Compa. The surroundings became dark as the words, 'Kinestra Slash' appeared above her. She bounced a little, charged up an enormous amount of energy, and then slashed hard with her lance she now had instead of a spear.

The instant the move ended, the damage that stacked on Compa caused her to instantly collapse on the ground, unable to even get a word out before she fainted.

"WHAT?!" Cameron shouted. "This shit again?!"

He quickly fired a few shots from a distance, but it did nothing to the Fake Green Heart. Purple Heart and Vert had similar experiences.

Before the group even fully knew what was happening, suddenly everyone was down for the count. Fake Green Heart was extremely powerful, even at this stage.

Everyone slowly came back consious, all very winded, but alive nonetheless.

"W-well… I hate to admit it, but that was a worthy exhibition of my power…" Vert admitted, kneeling.

Purple Heart, leaning heavily on her sword, managed to get out, "I… can't believe it… even in this form…?!"

"I… I'm so calling hacks or mods on that…" Cameron got out, on his knees whilst still catching his breath.

"Hahahahaha!" the Fake Green Heart laughed haughtily. "The sight of the goddesses groveling in front of me! Splendid!"

Suddenly, without warning, she quickly yelled and slapped Purple Heart right across the face, triggering a yell from the goddess. "Kya-!"

"Neptune!" Vert called out.

"Here's one for you too!" the Fake Green Heart exclaimed, slapping Vert just as hard.

"Kya-!" Vert screamed in pain.

"Lady Vert!" IF yelled.

The Fake Green Heart laughed again. "Now that no one can get in my way, I'll slowly send you to your graves."

She slapped IF, Compa, and the goddesses again, relishing in their screams of pain.

Cameron watched the whole scene…

As his vision became crimson red.

"How about one for you too!" the Fake Green Heart yelled, pulling Cameron's face up.

Her hand started to get to him…

But suddenly, it stopped. Cameron's hand caught the fake's before it could come into contact.

"No one. Hurts. My friends." Cameron growled slowly, his eyes… glowing. They were glowing red. His entire body was shaking in anger.

It happened again. Cameron… his body…

Glitched. Again. Just like in Lastation.

This time, EVERYONE saw it. The green shirt, the rosy cheeks, the blood stains, the… the smile.

That smile… it sent a chill down everyone who saw it.

It lasted a mere moment before reverting back to regular Cameron, who suddenly pulled out his sword and swung with an insane energy boost.

The Fake Green Heart quickly countered, but Cameron was so filled with anger and energy that he didn't care. Roaring like a crazed animal, he started hacking and slashing as hard as he could, trying as hard as he could to hit the damn woman.

For a moment, the only sound was the crazed noises coming from Cameron and the sound of metal ringing against metal. Fake Green Heart looked very surprised at this new revelation, but she quickly grew tired of the rather fierce, but stupid, last stand.

"ENOUGH!" she yelled, pushing Cameron to the ground and using the pole end of her lance to knock him over to the others. The way she hit him, it connected right to the side of his ribcage, which hurt like a BITCH.

His anger gave way to the pain, and he clutched his side, moaning in pain. Purple Heart looked beyond concerned for Cameron, but quickly was pulled away from that thought when Fake Green Heart slapped her loudly again.

Meanwhile, nearby, Ran-Ran watched the whole thing with fear. She shook fearfully in place as she murmured, "('・ω・') Aaaaaaah… Lady Vert is in danger… Ran-Ran needs to get help quick."

That simple sentence made Ran Ran think. About how she first met Lady Vert.

It was on the outskirts of the city, and Ran Ran had just arrived. "('・ω・') Ran-Ran thinks Lastation seriously sucks bad. Ran-Ran escaped from the horrible Land, but what to do now?"

Ran Ran looked like it was about to start crying. "(' ; ω ; ') Ran-Ran is hungry…" she moaned, her stomach growling gently.

It was then that Vert just so happened to walk upon her. "My, such a cute little piggy, aren't you?" she asked.

Ran Ran looked up. "('・ω・') Who are you?" she asked.

"Oh, I'm just a goddess passing by." Vert replied nonchalantly. "You look hungry. Do you want to dine with me?"

Ran Ran nearly cried. The thought of food made her very happy indeed.

Several days later, Vert and Ran Ran had become good friends. "Now Ran-Ran, I won't let you sleep tonight."

Ran Ran yawned. "('・ω・') More online games tonight?" she asked.

"Yes, I have an urgent quest that I need to clear." Vert agreed.

"('・ω・') Can Ran-Ran go as a Gunner class?" Ran Ran asked politely.

"This is a high-level quest so I'll kick you out if you come in that class." Vert responded honestly.

Ran Ran pouted. "('・ω・') That's so cruel…"

Some time later, Ran Ran had become curious with how Vert ran things.

"('・ω・') Isn't Lady Vert a goddess?" she asked one day.

"Well, yes, but someone stole my powers…" Vert replied softly, looking both embarrassed and a tad ashamed.

"('・ω・') Are you sure you want to tell Ran-Ran about this?" Ran Ran asked curiously.

"If I did not trust you, I would not have spoken to you in the first place." Vert responded, tapping Ran Ran on the (pig) nose.

"('・ω・') Lady Vert…" Ran Ran murmured happily.

As Ran Ran's flashback ended, she looked back to everyone getting owned a bit further away. "('・ω・') Lady Vert is hard to play games with, but she is really kind…"

She wrestled with her thoughts for a moment longer, before steeling herself. "('・ω・') It's Ran-Ran's turn to help Lady Vert!"

Meanwhile, Fake Green Heart was standing in front of Purple Heart again. "Hah! What's the matter? Where did all that poise of yours go? Aah?!" she mocked, slapping Purple Heart again.

"Augh…!" Purple Heart moaned in pain.

Fake Green Heart stumbled a moment, having put a tad bit more force into the last hit. "The power is fine, but this overly suggestive front is a bother… I tire of this form already. Let me take your power now."

Fake Green Heart started to reach for Purple Heart, but Cameron suddenly was in the way with one last bit of fire in his eyes. "Touch her, and you'll WISH the author left you out." he challenged.

"Still, you fight?" Fake Green Heart asked. "How pathetic. Noble perhaps, but pathetic."

Cameron quickly fired a blast from his arm cannon, but missed. He growled and tried to throw a punch. Still missed.

"Just get hit already!" Cameron screamed in anger, slowly prepping his sword again. His mind might have still been raging to fight, but his body was far from that. Against his will, his energy was slowly sapping. It wouldn't be long until he completely lost that fire.

"Are you finished yet?" Fake Green Heart yawned, growing tired of these pointless antics. She slammed the butt of her lance into Cameron again, this time in the stomach.

Cameron yelled in pain and fell to a knee, using his sword as a support. His entire body was begging him to give up… to bow down… to accept defeat…

But… deep, deep inside him…

Something called out to him.

Something that told him to NOT give in.

To NOT let the evil win.

To NOT give up.

Slowly, but surely, he stood up on extremely shaky legs, and pointed his sword one more time. "N… never… I'll… I'll never stop… until…!" he managed, fighting to even say words.

Fake Green Heart sighed. The guy was persistent, she'll give him that. But it was becoming very, VERY annoying.

"Perhaps you need a time out!" Fake Green Heart told him, using her lance to, again, bash Cameron away to the side. She hit so hard, his bag fell off and landed at Compa's feet.

As soon as he stopped rolling, an energy field formed around Cameron, forming a large bubble of green energy around him, trapping him inside. "Now, no interruptions…" Fake Green Heart sighed, glad that was finally over.

She slowly walked over to Purple Heart, smiling sadistically. "Let's see how you'll like being killed by your very own power!"

"Tch…!" Purple Heart responded, struggling to stand up.

"Heh heh heh… now, don't move…" Fake Green Heart instructed, pointing her hand towards her.

Cameron was on his knees, leaning against the bubble he was trapped in, watching the whole thing. "N… Neptune…! R-run…!" he tried to yell, but it came out too weak.

Dark purple energy started shining from Fake Green Heart's hand, forming into a small orb. Had everything gone like she wanted, it would've fired downward into Purple Heart's face.

But that's when everything happened.

"('・ω・') Stoooooooop!" Ran Ran shouted, running towards Fake Green Heart.

Just before the orb would've left Fake Green Heart's hand, Ran Ran more or less tackled her to the ground, forcing her to miss. "Wha-?"

Ran Ran did something else behind the Fake's back, and suddenly, Fake Green Heart turned back into regular Arfoire. "You! Still here?!" she shouted at Ran Ran.

"('・ω・') No one notices Ran-Ran." Ran Ran stated, almost proudly.

In a flash, a ball of light suddenly came from out of Arfoire, ending up right in Ran Ran's hands. "A… ball of light?!" IF asked in confusion.

"Tch! How dare you! My copy… my power as a goddess…!" Arfoire mumbled angrily.

Ran Ran quickly turned to IF, tossing the ball of light into her hands. "('・ω・') Miss IF. Please give that to Lady Vert. Hurry!"

"Got it!" IF agreed, turning over to Vert, who was finally starting to stand up.

"This is all your fault! Deja vu again! Dammit!" Arfoire yelled, beyond angry. She slapped Ran Ran across the face, which, while not as strong as it had been moments before, still hurt.

Through her pain, Ran Ran spoke one more time. "('・ω・') Miss IF, please take care of Lady Vert… or I will kick you out."

"Ran-Ran…?!" Vert asked, as Ran Ran ran off to hide again.

"Lady Vert! Here, take this!" IF yelled, tossing the ball of light to her.

Wasting no time, Vert quickly took the orb and held it close. For a moment, blinding light engulfed the area.

When it subsided, Vert stood there, looking… a hell of a lot stronger. "This power… it feels like it's been a while since…"

In a bright flash, Vert finally transformed. When it subsided, the TRUE Green Heart stood, in all her glory.

To call the Lady Green Heart a being of beauty would be an understatement. Her blonde hair was now sea-foam green, much longer, and worn in a straight ponytail. Her eyes had changed to a light purple color. Her outfit appeared to be a white bikini style HDD suit, with small black and green pieces acting as decoration. And of course, due to the transformation, her breasts had become even MORE exaggerated, though it did not seem to faze her. Unlike her normal form, the HDD form had the bottom of her breasts exposed, as opposed to the top like before.

 _(_ _Going quite far into describing me, are we?_ _)_

 **(Would you rather have little description? Now keep quiet, and grab some popcorn, it's getting good.)**

IF stared at her goddess in her true form. "So this is Lady Vert in HDD… how pretty… no, beautiful…" she murmured, almost breathlessly.

"Thank you Iffy, but let's first defeat the enemy in front of us." Green Heart informed, twirling her lance in preparation. "Neptune. Compa. Can you both still stand?"

Purple Heart took a short breath, then stood up, seemingly better now. "Of course." she replied. "I won't be beaten that easily."

"If Nep-Nep is going to stand, then I will too!" Compa added, finishing quick first-aid on herself.

"Cameron, are you-" Green Heart started to add, until she realized that Cameron was still trapped. The green energy field had not dissipated, and he still looked tired.

"Hmph!" Arfoire huffed. "How persistent! And I thought he was bad enough. No matter. I can still take care of you all!"

"Then if you can do that, why not let our friend out?" Green Heart taunted.

"Ha! You'd like that, wouldn't you?" Arfoire laughed. "But I'd rather let him see you all fall, one by one by one."

"Hmph. Have it your way then." Green Heart scoffed. "But be warned: I will make you regret your decision!"

 _Battle start._

Arfoire may have been back to normal, but that didn't mean she wasn't strong. She got first turn, and quickly jabbed at Green Heart. Thankfully, she missed, which is not how anyone, even the enemies themselves, wants to start a boss fight.

Green Heart was up. She quickly charged and rush-attacked Arfoire, doing solid starting damage, though she had plenty to spare. Purple Heart followed suit with Cross Combo, and soon after IF and Compa went and attacked.

Arfoire wasn't going to be taken out so easily, however. She quickly targeted both IF and Compa, who had stayed close together the previous turn, and slammed her spear down hard on them.

They lost a lot of HP from one strike, which was rather worrisome. Thankfully, they had plenty of healing items, due to Cameron losing his bag when Arfoire slammed him away.

Speaking of, Cameron was still trapped in that green bubble, left to only watch as Arfoire slowly chipped away at his friends. He knew they were strong, but even they had limits. He needed to get out. NOW.

Slowly, he tried to bust out by punching the energy field. That didn't work. He tried again, slamming his fists harder. Still no effect.

"Come on, come ON…" he grunted angrily, slamming his fists against the energy field as hard as possible. It might have shook slightly, but nothing else changed otherwise.

"ARGH! There's gotta be SOME way to get out of this…" Cameron mumbled, thinking. But a yelling sound caused his attention to be brought back to the battle.

Several turns had passed, and now Arfoire was down almost a quarter health. Compa had just taken a nasty blow from Arfoire, and was almost down for the count. She quickly healed herself as best as she could, but she might've needed a little more to be safe.

It was Green Heart's turn now. She seemed to be preparing herself for something big. The surroundings became REALLY dark. Like, midnight dark. Then two words appeared above her.

'Spiral Break'

"I shall have you perish here!" she yelled, charging forward with lighting speed. She struck Arfoire for really good damage, but the move was only beginning. She slowly turned around and charged multiple times, doing heavy damage with each strike. She charged a dozen or so times until finally pulling away and charging one last time, somehow doing even MORE damage than the first charge.

But she STILL wasn't done. "May your spirit be cleansed from existence!" she shouted, standing back and throwing her lance for one last hit. When the lance made contact it literally exploded into a ball of green light, dealing one last massive amount of damage.

After all that, Arfoire was down to half health, which seemed to brighten our heroes. Maybe they did still have a chance.

While IF and Compa both had their moves, Cameron was still trying to figure out how to get out of the energy field. He'd been pounding on it for a long time now, but it wasn't having any effect.

Slowly, he looked down at his right hand. Towards his sword. Slowly, and idea started forming in his head of a skill he learned a while before this. He knew it was a potential way to beat Arfoire.

"But… will it work…?" Cameron mused. "I've never used it before, so…"

He turned back to the fight. Another few turns had passed, and Compa had just healed everyone fighting. Arfoire was almost down to a quarter health, but was fighting even more viciously.

She slammed her spear as hard as possible into Compa, who had been a very big thorn in her side due to the healing she provided. Compa just barely managed to stay up, but was leaning heavily on her giant syringe weapon.

Purple Heart retaliated with a Cross Combo, which helped quite a bit due to Arforie's guard being down, but still wasn't going to power miracles.

Cameron desperately needed to get out of this energy field. He was worried that something might happen. The fight was teetering on the edge here, anyone could still take this.

He tried one more time to slam his fists into the force field… and suddenly, cracks started spider webbing across it… from the back side?

Cameron turned to see… Freddy! "You need a handsome devil to save ya, bud?" he asked, smiling. His sword was puncturing the force field, causing more cracks to appear. The energy field must have been weak from the outside.

In a moment, the energy shattered, then disappeared into nothing. Cameron was just about to thank Freddy for the assist, when suddenly Arfoire laughing called his attention back.

Arfoire had just hit Purple Heart hard, causing her to take a knee. Compa, who was still hurting, tried to heal her, but she was out of SP. Unless they got some extreme help in a moment, they might have been toast.

"Go! Get to them!" Freddy commanded. "I'll stay close by and assist if trouble happens!"

Cameron nodded, and charged, sword in hand. "Compa!" he yelled.

Compa looked over to see Cameron charging in. "Tag out! Tag out!" he yelled, his off-hand extended.

"What?!" Arforie yelled, looking back at where the energy field used to be. Nothing was there. Freddy was gone, supposedly hiding in wait.

"C-Cameron?" Compa asked.

"No time to explain! Tag out!" he yelled, bearing down on her. A hundred feet. Fifty. Twenty.

Compa reached out her hand just as he got to her, making them switch places. "Alrighty! You wanna tangle with the hero?! Well, prepare for the worst!" he yelled at Arfoire, a fire, now a raging INFERNO, back in his eyes.

"Ughh, this again?!" Arfoire yelled angrily. This was turning bad for her.

"Cameron! Do you have a plan?" IF asked.

"Yeah. I call it, 'Operation Beat 'em Senseless!'" he replied with a smirk.

 _(*nods and gives thumbs up* Gooood plan.)_

Cameron glared at Arfoire. "Let's see how you like THIS!" he yelled.

Suddenly, he froze.

His mind became blank.

An extraordinary feeling started seeping into his very soul.

Words appeared above him.

'Final Edge'

"Let's dance." he stated, hefting his sword, which was now glowing gold like his eyes. The rainbow energy was being released off of him again.

He quickly ran up to Arfoire and started slashing and hacking as much as he could, doing lots of small damage to start. He then jumped back, and prepped himself.

As if he was suddenly a machine, his hands started twirling, making his sword spin like a baton. Bright bolts of energy rocketed off the sword, blasting Arfoire repeated for good damage.

"An encore? Why not?" he asked rhetorically, as he stopped spinning his sword around. He ran his hand across his sword, a bright gleam flashing off of it.

He pointed it straight up into the sky. "FINALLLL…" he started to yell, the sword building power…

"EDGGGGGE!" he shouted hard, as large, colorful waves of pure energy rocketed off the sword's edge. Arfoire couldn't dodge them as wave after wave slammed into her, forcing her over her limit.

The moment the attack ended, Arfoire stumbled, then fell to the ground face-first, weak, but not dead. The battle was over.

 _(Hey, how come Cameron gets to have so many skills?)_

 **(A: He's my character. B: He has three different weapons. And C: The hero always gets the most skills, or at least has the potential to get the most. It's just RPG logic.)**

"*gasp*... *pant*..." Cameron panted, breathing hard. He blinked and his eyes returned to their normal brown, as did his sword return to its normal color.

The first thing that he saw after a second was a knitted sweater filling his view. Then, he realized Compa had nearly tackled him into a hug, which she could do easily since he was on a knee. "Cameron! You did it!" she yelled happily, squeezing him tightly.

"Ack! Compa-! You're! Squeezing! To! Tight!" he managed. His breathing was already through hell, he didn't need Compa making it worse.

"Sorry!" Compa apologized, letting him go.

IF had wide eyes. "Huh. So you DID have a plan." she mumbled, looking impressed and shocked at the display.

"So, now you know two EXE skills, it would seem." Green Heart started, looking impressed herself.

"EXE skills?" Cameron questioned. "Uh, I think its the memory loss, but… I'm pretty sure there wasn't anything stated before about EXE skills, whatever those are."

"I'll explain later." Green Heart assured. "In any case, that was amazing. How'd you get out of that force field?"

"That'll be explained later." Cameron answered. "Nep's coming, and my lungs need to be ready."

"Cameron!" Purple Heart yelled, nearly crushing him into a hug until he reminded her of his lungs, causing a much less tight, though still firm, hold on him. "How'd… you're… you…!"

"Woah woah woah, Neptune! One thought at a time please!" Cameron insisted. "Yeah, I'm okay. It'll take a lot more than a lance to the gut to keep me down. At least this time didn't result in serious injury like last time."

Purple Heart looked relieved and worried at the same time. "I'm… I'm just happy you're okay…" she breathed.

"Trust me, I'm not going down easy." Cameron reminded her. "Now come on. Halloween Queen is waking up."

The group made their way over to Arfoire, who was, indeed, waking up and coughing. "I can't believe it… how did you have that much power left…" Arfoire moaned, clutching her side.

"Cliche as it may be, this victory is for Ran-Ran and Iffy." Green Heart stated. "Without them, I wouldn't have my powers back."

"Umm, Vert? You're forgetting three others here." Purple Heart reminded, Cameron and Compa next to her as well. Cameron especially looked a little ticked.

"Auu… we're not important to you, Lady Vert?" Compa asked sadly.

"Oh, that was definitely not my intention." Green Heart explained, realizing what she said. "I just gave them a little extra praise."

"Ahh, don't take it to heart." Cameron brushed off. He didn't really care, as long as Green Heart was being honest. "I'm just happy you got your power back."

"Me too." Purple Heart added.

"Indeed. I extend my gratitude here to you all." Green Heart praised.

"So, what should we do with this evangelist?" Purple Heart asked, pointing at Arfoire.

"Let's get as much out of her as possible. I am sure Lowee is at least somewhat behind all this." Green Heart instructed.

"Hah." Arfoire scoffed, standing up. "Do you really think you can get information from me?"

Cameron, in response, cocked his arm cannon and pointed it at Arfoire. "Do we STILL look like a joke to you?" he asked.

"Still acting strong, are you?" Green Heart added.

"Not quite. But I will have to bid you adieu now. Farewell!" Arfoire mocked with a wave.

"Oh no you-!" Cameron yelled, firing a blast, but it was too late. Arfoire already disappeared into a bright flash. She ran away.

 _(That's a talent ALL bad guys seem to share, huh? Running away powers. Who knew?)_

"She's gone!" Purple Heart stated angrily.

"And just when we had her too. Seems she is quite adept at running…" Green Heart sighed. "If we meet her again, she will not get away."

"Well, let's just be happy that you got your power back. We all need to rest." Purple Heart offered.

"So true. I do need to attend to Ran-Ran, so let us return, shall we?" Green Heart asked.

Cameron sighed, and lowered his arm to collapse his cannon. But as he did… he saw something on the ground where Arfoire had once been. "Wait…" he started, noticing something familiar.

"Oh! Nep-Nep!" Compa yelled, seeing it too. "Just a second!"

Both goddesses turned back to see Cameron leaning down and picking something up, Compa next to him. "What's the matter you two? Did you find something?" Purple Heart asked.

"Call us crazy, but I think we did." Cameron stated, his eyes widening. There was no mistaking it. He picked it up and showed it to the rest of the group.

Purple Heart's eyes widened. "This… A Key Fragment?!" she shouted, looking at the piece in Cameron's hand. Indeed, though it still looked like a rock with blue veins around it, it looked just like the first Key Fragment they found back in Planeptune. "What's one doing here?!"

Cameron allowed the piece to fall into his palm. Almost immediately, the piece softly glowed, then melted into another small blue metal rod. This one had two broken ends on it, as opposed to the first that had only one.

" _Allow me to explain…"_ a familiar voice said.

"That voice… Histy?" Purple Heart asked aloud.

" _It has been quite a while. And, firstly, nice to speak with you, Lady Vert, IF."_ Histoire greeted.

Green Heart looked a little surprised. "So, you're Histy…" she mumbled.

"I thought you were sealed away?" Purple Heart asked.

" _I am using the resonance of the Key Fragments that you've already found…"_ Histoire explained. Cameron quickly pulled out the other piece they had and held that with the other. Histoire's voice definitely seemed a tad clearer. " _This way, I am able to temporarily speak through them."_

"I guess that makes sense…" Cameron responded. "So, then why was this Key Fragment here, of all places?"

" _That is the one that Arfoire was carrying and dropped."_ Histoire explained.

"Arfoire… so that's her name." IF said thoughtfully. It just occured to the whole group that they never really knew what her true name had been till then.

" _I believe she feared you collecting them, so she kept one on her."_ Histy explained.

"That does explained that…" Cameron agreed.

" _One word of warning…"_ Histy started. " _Arfoire's true power is the power to 'copy.'"_

"So…?" Purple Heart asked, not getting it instantly.

"...I see…" Green Heart mumbled, her gears turning. "I did get my power back, but she could have a 'copy' of it with her."

" _Exactly. Arfoire may alter the copied power to make it her own."_ Histoire agreed solemnly.

"Well that isn't good." Cameron worriedly stated. "I don't want to think about what would happen if she took Neptune's power on top of that…"

" _Precisely why I wanted to warn you of her unique power."_ Histoire explained, her voice starting to become softer. " _...it appears as though my time is up. Please, continue looking for the Key Fragments…"_

Histoire's voice slowly faded away. "I can't hear the voice anymore." Compa punctuated sadly.

Purple Heart, on the other hand, looked confident. "But the information we got was invaluable." she stated with a nod.

"True. I must now be wary to avoid the same happening again." Green Heart told herself.

With two flashes, the goddesses reverted back to normal Vert and Neptune. "What will you all do now?" Vert asked.

"Well, first we'll probably stay here for a day to wrap up any loose ends, head back to Planeptune, and then head on to Lowee." Cameron offered. The other girls had no objections to this.

"Aww. Going home already?" Neptune complained. "Let's stay for a few more days and have some fun for a while."

 _(I mean, we just wrapped up everything we NEEDED to do, so why not relax and enjoy some fun while we were there?)_

"Histoire asked to collect those Key Fragments. Getting them is first priority." IF told Neptune. "I would love to stay with Lady Vert for a while, but we have to do what we have to do."

"Awww… you're both so committed…" Neptune whined.

"What shall you be doing then, Lady Vert?" IF asked.

"There are quite a number of tasks to take care of, especially after all this." Vert explained, almost a bit nervous. "I need to keep watch of the Overlord worship and the Enemy Discs too… But once I am done, I will definitely go and see you both, Iffy, Cameron."

Cameron sighed. Finally. No more fighting for a while. It seemed like every ten minutes he couldn't go without some sort of fight happening. But now, they were done, at least for a few days. Now was the time to-

"COMING THROUGH!" a voice yelled. From out of the forest line comes Freddy, with a damn shotgun in his hands and at the ready.

He didn't see anything wrong though, so he lowered his gun. "Uhh… did I come late?"

Cameron smirked. "Just a bit. Like, five, maybe ten minutes?"

 _Freddy had joined the party!_

 _That afternoon, back at Vert's room…_

Neptune, Compa, IF, Cameron, Freddy, and Vert had just spent some time over at Vert's room, having a, let's say modest, celebration at finding the second Key Fragment, and re-claiming Vert's lost powers.

Let's NOT go into much description about everything that happened. Let's just say that the entire thing involved video games, at least two metric tons of pudding, and an almost dangerous accident involving a pillow fight. Don't ask.

 _(It's better if you don't know. Trust me, I was there.)_

Anyway, at 9 o'clock at night, Neptune, Compa, and IF seemed to be just three minutes away from passing out. They called it a night and headed back to the hotel. Freddy seemed out of it soon after, and after downing one more glass of soda, he waved goodbye and stumbled away, supposedly heading home.

That just left Cameron and Vert, both of whom still looked in rather good condition. They seemed to be locked in a very serious stand off in one of Vert's games. They had been going back and forth for quite some time, so much so that they could've probably set some world records.

The game they were playing was a shooter, something called _Order to Action, White Corps III_ , **(XD)** which Cameron was a little iffy about playing at first. He never considered himself that good at shooters. But once he got into it, he realized how awesome he was at it, he had to try and butt heads with Vert.

By the time they quit versing each other, it was nearing eleven o'clock at night, yet they still did not feel very tired. A little winded perhaps, but not tired.

"Wooh!" Cameron exhaled, wiping his brow. "That got a little intense, huh?"

"Quite." Vert replied. "I still don't know how you threw those bombs so well… or how you seemed to know where I was before I knew it."

"Well it definitely wasn't screen peeking, if that's what you were implying." Cameron denied. "No one likes a screen peeker."

Vert playfully shoved him. "Cheeky man."

"Call it what you like, it was GG worthy." Cameron told her. "We'll have to do that again some time."

"I agree." Vert replied, smiling.

The two sat in front of the TV Vert had, simply relaxing after the heated session. Cameron's heart was still pounding, giving him late minute adrenaline.

"Heh… it's kinda funny when you think about it." he admitted.

"Mm?" Vert hummed.

"Here I am, just a regular human like the hundreds of thousands of other people out there, yet I'm here in the Goddess's room, playing video games with her like we're old high school buddies." he stated, snickering a little bit. "It's just… strange to think about."

Vert watched him carefully. He seemed a little more… revealing than normal. Perhaps because of the fact that he was well fed, happy AND had been binge-drinking soda all night?

Whatever the case… maybe she could ask him a few questions she'd been wanting to ask.

"Hey, Cameron?" Vert started, smiling at him kindly.

"Mmm? Yes, Vert?" he asked.

"Well… I was wondering." Vert continued, becoming seemingly… nervous. "I… I was wondering about things. Things relating to you and… your memory."

The moment the words left her mouth, Cameron's eyes… changed. Not, like, in a bad way, just… they looked a little more serious. "My… my memory…?" he asked.

 _(Oooh, that's a very sensitive topic for him... tread carefully.)_

"I… I know what you all told me, about the Key Fragments and Histoire and all." Vert continued. "But… I was wondering if that's really the ONLY option you have."

Cameron slowly looked down at his hands. They seemed normal enough. But… he couldn't help but feel… that every so often… and this will sound strange, but…

Like it wasn't his.

Like an entire piece of him wasn't his.

He tried before many times to think about why that is. Why wouldn't a piece of him not feel like his own?

But every time he did, a feeling of dread and sadness twanged in his heart, making him really want to stop.

ALL other times where he tried to remember who he is, he felt only confusion that he couldn't remember anything. So why was THAT the one memory that seemed to trigger another reaction?

 _Why?_

Cameron had to think about it again.

Until he realized something.

Did… did he hear a second voice as he asked himself why?

 _Why did you lose your memory?_

There it was again!

Cameron put his hands to his head, and gently rubbed his temples, as though he had a headache, trying to focus.

 _Indeed, that is a question I asked myself. Why would you lose your memory? Was it better for you to lose it? What will happen if you don't?_

 _Well, I learned a long time ago that you shouldn't focus on those things. After all, once you're memory returns you'll remember everything, so why bother forcing your mind to remember something it's clearly forgotten?_

'Because what if Histoire CAN'T restore my memory? What if that's beyond her power? The GODDESSES can't make my memory come back. So what if Histoire can't?' he asked himself.

 _You're thinking far too worst case scenario, friend. Where's the Cameron I knew? The one that tackled any challenge presented to them with gusto?_

'...'

 _In any event, relax. Enjoy the moment. You're halfway to getting your memory back! All you have to do is find the other pieces and then find Histoire. Besides, she said that she'd restore your memory as well, right? And does she seem like a person that would lie about something like that?_

'Well… no…' I thought.

 _Then what do you have to lose?_

Cameorn remained quiet as the voice in his head grew silent.

Then he remembered that voice.

"H-hey, wait!" he called out, trying to get the Voice's attention again.

Vert looked at him funny. "Hm? Who are you talking to?"

"A-ah… uh, nothing… it's nothing, sorry… I was just really lost in thought again…" Cameron stammered, doing his best to hide his guilty face.

Vert saw through it in an instant, but she really couldn't do anything about it. But Cameron looked rather distraught… something must've really been wrong with him and his missing memory.

Slowly, as Cameron tried to think of something else to talk about, Vert slowly reached out her hand and rubbed Cameron's head in a comforting way.

"W-what are you…" he started to ask.

"Shhhh…" Vert shushed, still only rubbing his head gently.

Soon enough, Cameron seemed to lose tension in his shoulders. He slowly bowed his head and let Vert do what she was doing.

 _(Ooooh! Vert's making a move!)_

Gently, as to not disturb him, Vert quietly scooted closer to the silent man and gently pulled him into a hug. Cameron possibly tensed up the slightest bit, but remained calm and hugged Vert back.

For a few minutes, they just hugged like that. Vert gently rubbed her hands on his back in a comforting way, whispering gentle, kind words like, "It's okay… it's okay." and "You don't need to worry."

Eventually, Vert released Cameron and let him sit up on his own accord. "Mm… thanks, Vert. I feel a lot calmer now."

"I'm glad." Vert responded, gently taking his hand.

Cameron heart started gently increasing in rhythm. _Ba-bum. Ba-bum. Ba-bum._ He started feeling rather nervous, not to mention a little warm in the head.

Vert seemed to notice. "Becoming a little nervous around me, are you?" she asked gently, smiling cutely.

"...a little." Cameron admitted, avoiding eye contact. "I'm just… honored that you'd even think to comfort someone like me."

"Nonsense. You helped me get my powers back. If anything, you're overqualified." Vert laughed.

Cameron chuckled gently, some of his nerves disappearing. "Yeah. I guess that's true."

Slowly, he made eye contact with Vert. She… she really did look good in that dress, didn't she? And not just because it left little to the imagination. She… she really was stunning, even for a goddess.

Cameron couldn't help but wonder… what does Vert think of him? Besides, you know, the guy who got her powers back?

Vert seemed to read Cameron mind. She giggled a little bit, and pulled Cameron's hand towards her, making Cameron lean forward gently.

"Do you want to know what I think of you, Cameron?" Vert gently whispered in his ear.

Cameron's heart rate skyrocketed. Was she… was she going where he thought this was going?

"Well? Do you?" Vert whispered again.

Cameron was quiet for the count of five before whispering back, "Y-yes."

Vert seemed to smile brighter at that. "I think… that you are special to me. You are more than just the person who helped a damsel in distress. You really do mean something to me."

Vert pulled Cameron into another hug, holding him so that they were eye level with each other. Vert gently blushed, but her face held no shred of doubt as she stated with warm eyes. "I… I think that you are the nicest, kindest, and sweetest person I've ever met. And… I love you for that."

And in the next moment, Vert kissed him.

 _(THERE'S the sugar! XD)_

To say that Cameron's brain was blue screening a hundred times over would be an understatement. But… through his sudden wave of emotions at Vert's kiss…

He feltl a few standing out among the rest.

Calmness. Joy. Passion. Just to name a few.

So, his mind went to autopilot.

He wrapped his arms around the woman and pushed into the kiss himself.

The kiss was soft. Tender. They stayed locked together for nearly a minute, until Cameron needed to breathe.

He pulled away, panting a little, his face bright red. But… he didn't feel scared. He felt beyond nervous, sure. But scared? Nah.

Once he got his breath back, he looked up at Vert again. She seemed a little embarrassed herself, but still had her composure that she executed so well.

"Ve… Vert…" Cameron mumbled, his voice soft.

Vert seemed pleased with herself. "That… that is how I feel, Cameron. Do… do you feel the same?"

As if Cameron could say no to THAT.

"Do I feel… of-of course I feel the same." Cameron responded. "I… I really like everything you do, Vert. The way you move, the way you talk, the passion you have for the ones you care about… I… I can't help but like you for that."

Vert blushed a little harder. Her smile grew even bigger. "Thank you… Cameron…"

She slowly stood up, with Cameron following suit just after.

"Perhaps it is time we go to bed." Vert offered. "You have a big day ahead of you… as do I."

Cameron was downtrodden. "Oh… oh yeah… we got what we came for here, didn't we?" he asked sadly.

Seeing that, Vert pulled him close to her and hugged him again. "Hey, hey… you don't have to be sad. You have my email, do you not? You can talk to me at any time you want."

Cameron regained a little bit of his smile. "Heh… thanks Vert."

He held the slightly shorter girl in a small hug. And… he… he wanted to make sure that he had something to remember her by.

"Umm… Vert?" he asked, bracing himself.

"Mm?" Vert hummed, looking up. "What is- mmph!"

The last part was slightly muffled because Cameron leaned down gently and kissed her. Vert seemed a little surprised for a moment, before collecting herself and kissing him back.

The two stayed together like that for quite some time. They seemed really happy together like that. Cameron was grateful that everyone had already left. It would've been very embarrassing to have to explain all that.

Of course, not even two seconds after that thought left his head, he could clearly hear the soft sound of a phone camera flashing.

Cameron quickly pulled away and turned around, wide eyed. The door to Vert's room was wide open, and standing in it was Neptune, holding one of IF's phones out, grinning like crazy.

Before Cameron or Vert could even say anything, Neptune dashed away, giggling hard, bordering full blown laughter.

Cameron's face was beet red. Even his ears seemed to become red. "Nep…! Oh, great… now Neptune saw us… and she's gonna show IF and Compa, and Freddy, and-"

Vert interrupted him with a finger to his lips. "Shhh… think about it. Does it really matter?"

"Well, yeah, kinda!" Cameron responded indignantly. "She's bound show that to the rest of our friends and embarrass the hell out of me. I can't think about what would happen once IF of all people finds out…"

"But… in a way, this isn't all that bad." Vert offered. "After all, now you don't have to force yourself to tell; you literally have no choice but to come clean."

Cameron could see the logic behind that. "I… I guess that's true."

"Besides, does it matter if you kissed me?" Vert asked. "You love me, I love you, is that really a huge deal?"

Cameron pondered that. He slowly realized that he must've said something similar to IF when they became a thing.

"I… I guess you're right, Vert." Cameron slowly agreed, taking a deep breath.

The two stood there for a long time, thinking about what they were to do.

"Well… I guess I'd better head back to the hotel. We have to be ready for Lowee tomorrow… and you have your missions to continue, huh?" Cameron asked with a smirk.

Vert smirked back. "I'll see you soon, Cameron. Give Iffy my thanks!"

Cameron headed for the door, and waved as he closed it.

Both people were filled with… an odd mixture of relief and anticipation of what was to come.

But one thing was certain.

Life… life was pretty good right now.

 **(What, were you expecting something profound?)**

 _The next day, back at Compa's room in Planeptune…_

"'There are quite a number of tasks to take care of, especially after all this.'" Neptune quoted, seeing the… let's be generous and call it a 'scene,' in front of her.

It was back in the guest bedroom in Compa's apartment. Neptune had just walked in the room to see…

Mmm… what's a good way to say this WITHOUT seeming… too…

 _(I honestly think there's nothing you can do to sugarcoat this. Just say it.)_

Well, what Neptune saw was…

Vert. And… IF. And Cameron. With Vert… smothering the other two into her impressive chest, with a very passionate expression on. Not even kidding.

 _(You really CAN'T make this stuff up. It's too strange TO make up.)_

 **(Then again, I'm sitting next to three of you goddesses, so… maybe we're kinda past that point of strangeness.)**

 _(*shrugh*)_

"Sooo… umm, Vert? What'cha doing here?" Neptune asked, though it was clear she was forcing her casual tone.

"It couldn't be helped…" Vert replied, tightening her hold on the two. "I couldn't stop my inner urge to see Iffy and Cameron…"

"Nah vah bla, rema-" Cameron mumbled out, his mind too deep into blue-screen mode to form words. Who can blame him, really? His face was literally two centimeters away from Vert's chest.

"But, I thought you said you had lots of work?" Neptune asked, tugging at her collar.

"Oh, Ran-Ran and Yvoire can take care of all that. Not a problem." Vert shrugged off.

 _Meanwhile, in Leanbox…_

"Please confirm and approve of these documents by today." a worker at the Basilicom instructed.

"We're getting complaints that no one responded. What's going on?" another asked.

"W-wait! Please! Let me sleep…" Yvoire begged, having been shaken out of sleep from his desk.

"('・ω・') Ran-Ran had no sleep for three days. Lady Vert… help…" Ran Ran mumbled, up to her armpits in files and paperwork.

"Here are two more manifestos to add." the first worker told Ran Ran.

"('・ω・') Yaaaaaaaaaaaah!" Ran Ran yelled out of frustration.

 _Back in Compa's place…_

"Umm… heh, heh… almost felt like I heard screams of agony from Leanbox…" Neptune commented nervously.

"Oh, now. Being strict is fundamental in providing a solid foundation." Vert informed. Hard to tell if she was being honest, what with Cameron and IF still being nearly smothered into her chest.

"L-Lady Vert… you're… squeezing me too tight… he… lp…" IF managed to get out.

"My, how quickly I found out that I need my Iffy and Cameron around me…" Vert commented, squeezing the pair in her surprisingly strong arms. "I need them to be with me twenty four/seven. And hence, I won't let you both go easily, my sweets…"

 _About twenty minutes later…_

It nearly took a crowbar and then some, but eventually Vert released Cameron and IF from her literal death grip. IF and Cameron were blushing hard, moreso Cameron. IF was just glad that she was still able to breath.

"Uh… hahahahaha… why do I feel like I've seen this before?" Neptune asked.

"Ugh… and here I thought that last night was bad… what with Neptune showing that photo…" Cameron mumbled quietly, still trying to recover.

Compa came over from her kitchen, holding, what else is new, a bowl of pudding. "Nep-Nep. I brought us some pudding." Compa informed, holding out the treat.

"Ooh! Compa, you're super!" Neptune praised, digging right in.

"I made some green tea pudding this time just for you, Nep-Nep." Compa explained happily.

"My, does it look delicious. May I have one?" Vert asked kindly.

"Oh yes, here you go!" Compa replied, pulling another pudding out from nowhere and handing it over.

Unfortunately, at least in IF's case, she had sat down next to Vert, and now Vert was looking at her expectantly. "Now, my Iffy, open wiiiide…"

"Ah, I can eat the pudding on my own…" IF tried weakly.

"Oh, don't be shy. I want to spoon it to you. Now, open wiiiiide…" Vert insisted, pushing the spoon against IF's lips.

Blushing, IF nevertheless complied, and gently opened her mouth. "...aah…"

"Is, uh… is this common occurrence around with you people, or…?" Freddy asked. He'd been standing in the corner so quietly, no one really remembered he was there, nor that he'd joined the party two days ago. He'd been a little nervous about traveling to another Land, but he did so after talking about it and saying bye to his mum.

"Whoa, is it getting hot in here? This is just like a dating sim!" Neptune teased, watching IF gleefully.

IF quickly swallowed the chunk of pudding in her mouth and stammered, "Wh-what?! I-I'm only complying because refusing Lady Vert would be rude…"

Cameron shot Freddy a look that said quite plainly, 'More or less.'

"Oh, speaking of, Vert? You came all the way down, so how's about joining us?" Neptune asked.

"Well, of course, being twisted on Cameron and Iffy's little fingers, I would be happy to join." Vert agreed with a smile.

"Well, then we got another camper in this roller coaster we call a story." Cameron stated, rolling his eyes with a smirk.

And thus, Vert officially stayed with the party, as did Freddy.

Only one more Land was ahead of our heroes now: Lowee.

What sort of adventure would they have once they got there?

Only time would tell…

 **Annnnd that's that!**

 _(_ _This was a very good chapter, Butter. And nice job describing my HDD form._ _)_

 **No problem Vert. Least I could do with you literally staring at the screen over my shoulder.**

 _(_ _You were typing, were you not?_ _)_

 **I wasn't complaining. After all, I think I recall MAYBE once these two looking at the work while it was half-done. At least YOU stuck through with me till the end on this one.**

(Well, I didn't help much because I wasn't in this chapter. I'm not in any anymore until at least a few more chapters later.)

 _(And I had important business downstairs! Very top secret!)_

 **Heads up Neptune: make sure you actually close OUT of Netflix once you're done. I know that you were binging RWBY and Sword Art Online.**

 _(Wh-what?! Bu-but I logged out AND wiped my history! I think…!)_

 **Aaand there's your problem.**

 **Anyway readers, I hope you enjoyed! This chapter was a little bit longer than the last one, because I've been gone for so long. I think this is kinda my normal upload speed now. Before, I was cranking them out every week or something like. Then I actually started getting more into the writing, taking more time to develop things, actually using words other than 'said,' you know? It's that old saying, 'quality over quantity.'**

 **I COULD publish fast, at the cost of really bad grammar, underdeveloped characters, and other things, so I'm just gonna say I'm making a good call as-is.**

 **As always, if you have any questions for me, or the goddesses for that matter, be sure to PM me and we'll answer. Until next time, readers, stay awesome.**


	22. Meeting White Heart

**Helloooo readers! It's ButterHunter here, back once again with the (regrettably long overdue) new chapter!**

 **Here you are!**

* * *

Chapter 22: Meeting White Heart

 _A few days later…_

IF came into the room, seemingly reading something on one of her phones. Cameron, Neptune, Compa, and Freddy were also there, Cameron and Freddy reading, Neptune and Compa quietly talk amongst themselves.

"You're all here?" IF asked, looking up and seeing everyone in the living room.

"Hm? What's the matter, Iffy?" Neptune asked, looking over.

"I got info that Conversation is over in Lowee. We should head over soon." IF explained, putting the phone away.

"Oh boy, this oughta be good…" Cameron replied, closing the book. "Let's hope Lowee is better. Not to be mean, but Lastation and Leanbox had some problems."

Everyone kinda could see his point. Between fighting giant robots, to being framed for improper worship, things hadn't gone exactly great in either Land.

"I have a question." Nep asked, rasing a hand. "Where do you get all your intel from, Iffy?"

"Yes, that's something I was wondering too." Compa chimed in.

"Nothing secret. I have a lot of friends to give me info all over the world." IF responded.

Neptune… was that a tad bit of anger in her face? "I-Iffy… you have more friends than just us?!" she half-shouted.

"Oh boy, here she goes again…" Freddy commented, though only loud enough to where Cameron heard it. Freddy quickly and discretely covered his ears. Neptune's arguments tended to be… let's be kind and say, 'long.'

 **(Believe me. I know firsthand of that fact.)**

 _(Still sitting right here, you know.)_

Thankfully, IF knew about that. "I've been traveling all this time. Of course I got friends." IF responded, rolling her eyes, ending the argument before it started.

"I'm so envious that you have friends all over the world." Compa muttered dreamily.

"By the way, where is Lady Vert?" IF asked, noticing her absence.

"She said she needed to go shopping a while ago." Freddy responded. "Some new release, perhaps? Maybe a nice book?"

IF seemed to sweat a tad bit. "Despite being a goddess, she doesn't really act like one…" she murmured.

"You're saying that with Neptune right across from you." Cameron laughed. He and Freddy high-fived. Even Neptune smirked. It WAS true after all.

Just then, the door to Compa's place opened, and lo and behold, in stepped Vert. "I'm home." she called out.

Neptune stood to greet her. "Speak of the devil! Welcome back, Vert!"

"Oh my, Iffy is back too. Was there any information to share?" Vert asked.

"Yes. I got info that Conversation is in Lowee at the Basilicom." IF replied.

Vert seemed to brighten. "Well, we must depart to Lowee, then. I'm glad I made this purchase…"

"Oh yeah, we were speculating about that. What'd you get? New video game release?" Cameron asked.

"Well, yes, but my main buy was…" Vert responded, digging into a small shopping bag she had. She pulled out a case, and popped it open. She pulled out from there…

A pair of red glasses. The frame went around the bottom but not the top. Vert quickly put them on. "Aha!" she laughed, looking at herself in the mirror. "How does it look? Am I stunning or am I stunning in these?"

"Um, that's…" IF started.

"Eyeglasses for my cover. I can't be walking around without one there." Vert stated.

Everyone besides Vert seemed to subtly glance downward towards her chestal region. Neptune punctuated it by adding, "I think there are MUCH more prominent parts to cover than the eyes…"

"That's not so. See? Look carefully." Vert added, grabbing a book from Compa's shelf and holding it in the crook of her arm for added effect. "I must have a different aura with these on, do I not?"

"Well, now that I look again…" Cameron started slowly, looking Vert up and down again. "It does give off a greater sense of intelligence and importance."

"I agree." IF added, seeing it as well.

"Really?" Neptune asked. "Looks like the same Vert to me."

Vert, however, seemed captivated at Cameron and IF's statments. "Thank you both for noticing! Oh, I can sense the love coming off of you both so strongly."

The next thing Cameron noticed was how dark his vision became, because his hand was in his face. Freddy also seemed to be groaning internally, looking to the side and covering his ears again.

"Um, I'm fairly sure neither of them said anything about love…" Neptune commented.

"Anyway, not that I'm set, when shall we depart for Lowee, anyone?" Vert asked.

Cameron looked to Freddy. "You up for some more traveling?"

"Beats sitting here getting bored." he agreed, standing up.

IF turned to Compa. "Compa, you got a warmer with you?"

Compa seemed a little confused. "Well, I have some from last winter. Why?"

"Let me guess. You've never been to Lowee?" IF asked.

"Yessy." Compa replied.

"Okay, I'll spare you from the details right now. Grab them and let's get going." IF replied.

 _An hour or so later…_

The first thing our heroes saw when they arrived at Lowee: snow. Snow, snow, snow, and MORE snow.

The second thing they noticed? The temperature.

"I-I-Iffy… it's… free… freez… freezing here…" Compa managed, stiff from cold. That sweater she wore helped a tad, but not much.

"Yup. Lowee is perennially covered in snow… here's your warmer." IF stated, handing over the warmer.

Compa gratefully put it on, basking it its warmth. "Th-thank you."

"How about you, Nep? Cameron? Freddy?"

Neptune was all over the place, stars in her eyes. "Yay! Snow! Look, look! Iffy, my breath is white! Dragon breath attack!" she happily exclaimed, watching her breath come out white in the cold air. "Oy! Let's make a snowman!"

 _(*fighting back laughter*)_

 **(Neptune, if you stoop so low as to sing that song…)**

 _(Hey… Butter… *snickering hard*)_

 **(Neptune…!)**

 _(Do you wanna… build a snowman~?! *howling laughter*)_

 **(DAMN IT NEPTUNE, YOU JUST LOST A PUDDING TODAY!)**

 _(*still laughing* Worth it…!)_

"I think she's fine." Cameron replied bluntly. "As am I. I feel fine, oddly enough."

"Really?" Freddy asked, shivering a little as he took the warmer IF handed him. "You're wearing a T-shirt and jeans. I'm wearing a sweater and thick pants, and I'm a little frozen over here. How are you fine?"

Cameron shrugged. "Dunno. I just don't feel all that cold."

"How about you, Lady Vert?" IF asked, turning to her.

Vert had an odd glint in her eye. "I'll happily take the warmer. Yah!" she exclaimed, quickly hugging IF into her.

IF squirmed at the sudden hug attack. "Um… Lady Vert? Why are you hugging me?"

"Well, you did say warmer, so I'm grabbing my warmer, Iffy." Vert replied, hearts literally flying off her.

"P-please! This is embarrassing! H-here, take these warmers instead." IF tried, holding the warmers up.

"Let me stuff those between my endowments…" Vert replied, taking the warmers and shoving them between her breasts. "...there. Now, back to Iffy!"

 _(Seriously, just make out already and be done with it.)_

 **(Neptune! That's your friend you're talking about.)**

 _(Well, the readers probably want to see it happen at this point, so what's with the holdup?)_

(I think I speak for both me and Vert when I say, NO.)

 _(_ _...*blush* No comment. *silently crosses_ _fingers*_ _)_

While IF floundered around, trying to escape Vert's grasp, Neptune seemingly had enough fun playing in the snow for now. "Welp, that was fun! Compa, Cameron, Freddy! Let's leave those two lovebirds and get going." Neptune offered, walking merrily down the path. The others followed shortly after.

'Well… let's hope for the best.' Cameron thought to himself. 'If things do go south, at least we've been grinding for a while. We're all level 44 now, so worst case scenario, we'll be ready.'

 _A few minutes later, at Lowee's Basilicom…_

Neptune opened the door to the Basilicom. It didn't look much different from the others, apart that this one had a tiny bit more white in the finer details. Other than that, and the uniform changes of the workers here, nothing seemed very out of normal.

"Hello? Is Lady White Heart around?" Neptune asked around.

"My, it just struck me, but was it fine to just come to Lowee's Basilicom?" Vert asked.

"What do you mean?" IF asked.

"Well…" Vert started, leaning in closer to make sure no one other than IF and the rest of the party heard her. "If Conversation was seen at the Basilicom, they may be in this together. This is like jumping into enemy territory. I hope nothing bad happens."

"You're not the only one." Cameron replied, looking around cautiously. Something… something felt strange.

"Now that you mention it, I'm getting a bad vibe here." IF replied.

"But, since we're here, we may as well ask around for Constipation already." Compa replied.

"I guess this is a risk we have to take." Freddy responded, almost reluctantly. "Oh, and Compa? It's 'Conversation'..."

 _(Tomato tamato, Potato potata.)_

Just then, a member of the Basilicom approached the group. It was a short girl, coming up to just about Neptune's height, give or take. She seemed to be dressed in a cute little red housemaid outfit. Her hair was blonde, long, and straight, and her amber eyes seemed trustworthy enough.

"Welcome to the Lowee Basilicom. Have you come to see Lady White Heart?" she asked.

"Yes. There's a number of questions we'd like to ask." Compa replied.

"Very well. To start, I am Financier, Lady White Heart's chamberlain." the girl introduced herself as. "It must have been cold outside. Let me prepare something warm for you."

"Ooh! Can I get a nice warm bowl of stewed pudding?!" Nep asked.

"I would be happy if I had a cup of sugar topped with hot chocolate." Compa replied dreamily.

 **(So THAT'S why she's so sweet. *smirk*)**

 _(HEY! That was my line!)_

"I'll have milk tea." IF added quickly.

"I'll have the same. Oh, but a Darjeeling pure blend for the tea leaves." Vert requested.

Cameron looked at all of them with a raised eyebrow. "Uh, guys? This isn't a cafe or a restaurant. We didn't come here to order croissants and drink fancy herbal tea. Right, Freddy?"

"I'll just have a warm cup of coffee, if that's okay." Freddy replied, before realizing what Cameron said. "Uh, I mean… yeah, what, uh, what he said…"

Cameron double facepalmed.

"You're, uh, friend is right. This isn't a restaurant…" Financier responded.

A few minutes later, everyone had a small glass of warm cocoa in their hands, which was more than enough to warm their slightly chilled bones. Neptune was a little upset that she couldn't get a pudding, but Cameron quickly quieted her.

Now they were heading to the back of the Basilicom, led by Financier, to Lady White Heart's room. It was a large, dome shaped room, with glass walls all over the place.

Financier held up a hand to make them stop, and entered the room herself. "Lady White Heart. We have some visitors here who would like to meet you."

"So, they finally came…" the goddess responded to herself. She continued in a much stronger voice, "Let them enter."

Our heroes quietly filed in, getting a good look at the goddess for the first time. Her hair was short, and sandy brown in color, reaching her neck and dull blue eyes. On her head, she wore a big white cap with light blue ruffles and a brown/gold under and center piece. She wore an open white jacket with powder blue markings, dark brown lining, and light colored brown fur on the shoulders. Under that, she had on a simple white dress with dark brown lining and markings on it. Around her neck was a light blue choker with a white stripe in the middle, and a blue gem/badge in the center. Oddly enough, she appeared to be wearing powder blue sandals, with a white ribbon around the right leg, despite it being a very cold location she lived in.

The most noticeable thing about her, however, was her height. She was even shorter than Neptune, though just slightly. If you didn't know she was a goddess, you would've thought she was a ten year old kid, maybe up to fourteen.

Neptune decided to be the first one to speak. "Hi, Lady White Heart! I'm Neptune, and this here is-"

"Cut the introduction." the Lady interrupted, in an oddly very formal tone. "I know you all very well."

Red flags starting going up in Cameron's mind. Discretely, he popped his knuckles, becoming very nervous.

Neptune didn't see the warnings. "Huh? Are we famous or something?"

"Yes. Very famous…" the Lady replied.

"Heh. Now you're making me blush…" Neptune started to say bashfully.

"Famous as messengers of Momus, that is." the Lady added, her eyes suddenly becoming very… sharp.

"I knew it…!" Cameron muttered under his breath. "I knew it was too easy!"

"Here too?!" Compa asked, stunned.

"Everyone, come out." the Lady called out. "Capture these heretics…"

From everywhere and nowhere, guards appeared, quickly making a half circle around them, blocking the way back. They were trapped.

"So they're the messengers of Momus…" one guard mumbled.

"They're all young girls and young men. And children." another added.

 _(HEY! I'M NOT A CHILD!)_

 **(Nice childlike argument there, Nep…)**

"Don't be fooled by their looks. I mean, look at our Lady Blanc." the first guard responded. "The looks aren't indicative of their actual selves."

"Well then, I guess we don't have to go easy on them." the second guard replied.

"Looks like you're cornered." the Lady taunted, still in that very formal tone.

Cameron, Neptune, and Vert all had weapons drawn and were in front, but there was too many guards. They was no way they would win a straight up confrontation, not to mention they didn't need a real reason to be arrested. "Blanc… are you serious?" Vert asked ludicrously.

"Dead serious. While I'm at it, I'll end your misery here too, Vert." Blanc stated calmly, putting extra emphasis on 'Vert.'

Vert appeared to smirk. "My, my. It looks like my disguise was unveiled." Vert replied.

"Uhh, I said it before, but there are other parts of you that give you away." Neptune gently stated, seeing Vert bounce in place again.

"Cut the jokes! This is serious!" Cameron yelled, backing away slowly. They needed a plan.

"Um… wh-what should we do now…?" Compa asked nervously.

"It's not a good idea fighting here…" IF mumbled.

"But we got a wall of people blocking the exit." Neptune responded.

Then, Cameron had an idea. It was stupid, probably insane, most likely dangerous, but it WAS an idea. He remained quiet for a moment to think things out.

"Well then, I suppose we should force our way out." Vert offered. She glanced over at IF. "Iffy, don't worry about me. I'll cover your back."

"I think we have the same plan, Vert." Cameron added, glancing back behind them all.

Towards the stained glass wall.

"I'll charge when you give the word, IF!" Cameron replied, his arm cannon out at the ready.

"Understood!" IF called out, hesitating for a moment, then nodding at Cameron. "Everyone, follow us!"

Everyone but Vert started running away from the exit. Vert started briskly backing up while holding the guards off as best as she could.

"I-Iffy?! Where are we running to?!" Neptune yelled.

"We-we're heading towards that stained glass panel!" Compa shouted, slowly understanding the plan.

"Oh, no… don't tell me, you two?!" Neptune groaned.

"Get ready!" IF yelled, only a few more steps away from the panel.

Blanc was thrown off. "Wha-?!"

"GO!" IF yelled.

"LEEEROOOOOOOOOY JENNNKINNNNNNSSSS!" Cameron shouted at the top of his lungs, blasting the wall with a large energy ball from his cannon. The glass instantly shattered, making a hole that he and IF quickly jumped through, landing safely in the snow.

 _(*insert three collective sounds from the goddesses, one giddy, one pleased, and one groan*)_

"Here goes nothing!" Nep yelled, jumping after them.

"W-wait for meeeee!" Compa yelled, jumping right after.

"Shit, shit, shit!" Freddy cursed. "SHIIIIIIIIIIIIT!" he yelled as he jumped.

"I always wanted to do this! Just like in the movies! Here I come!" Vert shouted gleefully, running and leaping through the hole.

All of them landed safely in the large snowpiles outside. They quickly gathered themselves as best as possible and ran for the hills.

Blanc looked furious. "I can't believe they got away… go after them! Do what you have to. Bring them all back!"

"Right away!" a guard responded, and the guards all ran out of the room.

"It's only a matter of time until they bloom red flowers on the white snow here." Blanc murmured slowly, a smile creeping onto her face.

Blanc slowly left the room, to do something else. Leaving Financier. Alone.

"...I better get moving." she stated, sighing at what she just had to do. "Hopefully, I can get to them first…"

 _Five minutes later…_

At some point while making a mad dash away from the Basilicom, the party had taken a wrong turn somewhere and headed straight into a dungeon. Maybe that was for the best. The guards might have thunk that the group would just run straight for the city, instead of heading in a roundabout way for it.

Neptune leaned against a nearby pumpkin house, which were strangely common around here, panting heavily. "I-I wonder if it's safe now…" she managed.

"No, they'll find us eventually." IF stated grimly. "We'd better keep moving, head for the city."

No one in the group had any objections to that, so they started delving in, making sure to stay close together.

The monsters they fought here were strong, but not enough to beat the group unless they got REALLY lucky, which they weren't. The monsters were starting to look similar, different mainly with color textures and names.

The dungeon wasn't that long in all honesty. It took about only twenty, thirty minutes to reach the end of it. Which might've been a good thing, because the cold seemed to finally be catching up to Neptune. "*burr* I-it's so c-cold… I'm growing icicles on my nose…"

"Iffy? Are we near the city? I'm starting to get sleepy here." Compa asked. She looked a little tired, that adrenaline rush from jumping through a window must've taken quite a bit out of her.

"It's only a little further. Let's keep going." IF responded, pulling her warmer on a little tighter.

Vert seemed distraught. "With the Basilicom against us, we'll need some allies… how troubling."

"It'll be much harder this time, especially with the CPU against us." IF murmured.

"Well, we will need to prioritize seeking help then." Vert suggested.

Neptune sighed. "I guess it isn't that easy finding Key Fragments…" she stated sadly.

"Well… at least there is one thing we know for sure." Freddy offered.

"Hm? What's that?" Cameron asked.

"That Lowee's Basilicom is backing Conversation." Freddy stated.

IF seemed to agree. "Them calling us messengers of Momus is proof they're setting us up." she explained.

"Yeah, but so what? There isn't much we can do about it." Neptune reminded them.

"That's exactly why we need allies." IF explained. "We have to find someone that's outside of the Basilicom. Remember Chian from Lastation? Someone like that."

Compa seemed a little more hopeful. "Let's hurry to the city then and get some help… and a room with a warm stove."

Vert happened to glance behind her, and she saw something she didn't like. "...it would seem even that would not be so easy to achieve." she stated grimly.

"There they are! They're in the forest!" one of the Basilicom guards yelled, coming around the bend of a snow hill.

"They found us!" Compa squeaked, hiding behind Cameron.

"Hands behind your head and stay on the ground!" a second guard shouted.

"Hell no! The ground is cold and wet and mushy. I don't want to get dirty." Neptune yelled indignantly. "Snow isn't 'white' like most people think, y'know? So, that's a no go."

"Oh, give up already!" the first guard shouted again. Both guards started reaching behind themselves for something.

"Oh, so you're going to face us?" IF asked.

"Not us!" the second guard shouted back. "Go, Dragon! I choose you!"

The guard pulled out… an Enemy Disc?! It quickly flashed, and a monster came out of it, facing the party with its vicious eyes. "Mr. Monsters are coming out of the Discs!" Compa commented fearfully.

"I see. So those did come from Lowee." IF replied smugly. She had a feeling that was the case.

And now, in Compa's next line, we shall see the perfect example of a double negative, in its purest form. "We'll be serious, then! Go, Nep-Nep! I choose you!"

 _(Wooooooooooow. Thanks for that, bud.)_

 **('Ey, no prob' Nep. *cheeky grin and wink*)**

"Pika!" Neptune yelled playfully. Cameron had never thought about how nice his hand looked pressed up against his face like that.

With a flash, Neptune transformed into Purple Heart, looking determinedly at the monster before her. "I won't hold back against monsters." she stated dramatically.

"Wh-what?! She transformed!" the second guard yelled, confused.

Vert seemed to wiggle a little in place, like she was expecting something. IF stared at her in a curious way. When that didn't get anything, Vert stared at IF harder.

"Uhh… what are you expecting from me?" IF asked, already dreading the answer.

In response, Vert bounced a little on the spot and asked, "Oh, I don't know… maybe a command from my Iffy? Now, follow me here. You can do this…"

"Uh… this isn't a time to be joking around…" IF reminded her, what with the massive dragon-monster in front of them.

"You can do it, Iffy…" Vert continued.

IF gave up. "Oh- alright then! Go, Lady Vert! I choose you…!" she shouted, though it was a little half-assed.

Vert looked pleased regardless. "*squeal* That's what I've been waiting for!"

With another bright beam of light, Vert transformed into Green Heart, also looking determinedly at the monster. "Now, let me show you my power…"

The first guard looked stunned. "She changed too?!"

"No matter!" the second guard brushed off. "Through rigorous training, people and monsters can become stronger! I've lived 'n trained with my fighting monster! And that will never change! Messengers of Momus! We will grind you with our superior power! Hoo hah!"

 _Lowee Basilicom Guards A and B confront you! Battle start._

 _(You did not just to that. XD)_

 **(I did it and I'm proud.)**

The dragon roared loudly, hunger in its eyes.

Fortunately, due to the grinding the group had been doing, the party got first turn, which was rare for such strong monsters.

Purple Heart was up first. She quickly rushed once or twice, then used her break attack. The health of the dragon didn't go down very far.

"Oh boy… here we go." Cameron murmured. "At least this isn't a cheat battle."

He, Compa, and Green Heart all had their turns. Freddy was ready to switch with Cameron at any moment, and IF was set to switch with Compa if need be.

The 'Ancient Dragon' ('Haven't we already fought one of these before?' Cameron asked himself.), as it was called, pounded forward and slashed at Cameron and Compa with its mighty claws. The attack did just under a thousand damage to Cameron, and just over two thousand to Compa… which actually wasn't that bad, considering they had about seven thousand each at full, AND this was a mid-story boss. Not that terrible, really.

Cameron was up. He quickly switched to his arm cannon and fired his Echo Reflector beam, hitting everyone but IF, who was too far away. Better safe than sorry. Green Heart continued with her guard-breaking attacks, trying to get that down so more powerful attacks would open up for them.

Compa quickly smacked the dragon a few times, doing only a little damage, but at least it did take out some guard, which was the key here.

Purple Heart followed up with a short Cross Combo, which wasn't doing very much because, you know, pesky guard it had. The dragon targeted her, but the attack did only just over six hundred damage.

The battle went back and forth like that for some time, with people switching back and forth, until the guard finally fell one the dragon. It was only down a third of its health, probably less, so now some REAL damage could start stacking up.

Green Heart quickly charged up her Sylhet Spear attack, which did amazing damage now that that guard was down, a full 9999. Max damage in one attack.

"Ha! Now THAT'S what I'm talking about!" Cameron shouted gleefully. He followed up with a strong Flame Pillar from his arm cannon, which, while not as strong as Green Heart's, still did impressive combo damage. Compa healed everyone quickly, to hopefully ensure victory, and Purple Heart quickly Cross Combo-ed again.

 _(You have me using that skill an awful lot.)_

 **(Well, it is a decent skill for having it at the very beginning of the game. And it strikes fast and clean. Not much else you could really want out of a skill like that, eh?)**

The dragon was weakening fast. It tried to strike Purple Heart, but missed by an inch. "Face it Dragon Breath!" Cameron yelled. "You're overmatched!"

Purple Heart looked like she wanted to end this. "I don't know about you all, but I'm frankly done here. Let's get this over with, hm?"

The surroundings became super dark. Darker than most skills did. Cameron and the others instantly realized what Purple Heart was about to do. Her EXE skill (which Vert had explained to Cameron before back in Planeptune).

The tell-tale words appeared above Purple Heart's head, as she charged up.

'Neptune Break'

"This is my special!" Purple Heart yelled, pointing her sword up to the sky. She charged up, and yelled, "Neptune Break!" just as she flew forward.

She slashed right past the dragon, doing good starting damage, and then rapidly started dashing around it a bunch of other times, stacking the damage quickly.

On her last dash, she charged up while flying forward, and hit so hard she literally created a mini explosion, doing even MORE damage. But the attack wasn't over yet.

"This is it!" she yelled, tossing her sword up in the air. She ran forward one more time, slammed the dragon up into the air, bounced off of it head for good measure… and then came straight back down, sword first.

Needless to say, the attack became far too much for the dragon to take. It roared one last time… and then fell to the ground. This battle was over.

For some reason, the Basilicom guards looked… tired. "I'm burned out… just like the dying embers of white ash…" the second one managed.

"Hey! Get ahold of yourself!" the first one yelled.

Purple Heart and Green Heart both returned to normal. "Whew, and that's that!" Neptune proudly stated.

"We need to get moving, before more start coming!" Cameron told the rest, receiving no objections otherwise.

"Agreed. See ya!" Neptune waved at the guards, quickly dashing away.

"Iffy, Cameron, Nep-Nep, wait up…" Compa weakly called out, following after as best she could.

After a minute or so, IF seemed to think the coast was clear. "I think we're safe for now."

"I see lights up ahead. We must be close to the city." Vert stated, looking ahead. Indeed, lights were shining up ahead, looking like a quaint city just a little further away.

Compa was winded. "*huff* *huff* I-I can't move any more…" she moaned, nearly collapsing had Cameron not been faster.

Neptune looked especially concerned. "Are you okay, Compa? You want me to transform and carry you?" she asked.

"Oh, no, I'm fine. I just need to rest a bit…" Compa denied.

"C'mon, we're friends and all, so no need to be shy." Neptune continued to persist. "I get a lot more power when I change, and I can fly too, you know?"

Neptune changed into Purple Heart, for… maybe to prove a point or something? No idea. IF seemed to become angry a tad bit. "Wha-?! Are you stupid?! What are you doing?!" IF huskily asked.

"What's the matter, Iffy? You look serious…" Purple Heart commented.

A voice came from somewhere where the group had come from. "I saw something light up down there!" a guard yelled.

"It must be them!" a second added.

"Great. Now they know where we are." Cameron sighed, rubbing his temples. This day was already starting to give him a slight headache.

Purple Heart, while generally not great at expressing a lot of emotion, seemed… ashamed. "I… I'm sorry." she apologized, changing back to Neptune.

Vert tried to calm the situation. "Now is not the time to feel sorry. Let's hurry and be on our way."

"But where?" Freddy asked.

"It seems you need some help." a voice commented from nowhere.

"Wha-?! Who's there?!" Cameron asked, looking around wildly.

From out of the forest near the group emerged a person. But… it wasn't like a person the group had come into contact with before.

The person in question was, whoop-dee-do, another girl. She had tan skin with odd white body markings all over. Her eyes were a brilliant emerald green in color, and her blonde hair was spiky, partly covered with a white and black hat, golden goggles with green lenses, and pointed canine ears, with a matching black and white tail. She also wore a white vest with green detailing all over, which had a wide, loose neck/collar hole. Three thin, green straps held it together, covering her fair bust. She also had white gloves, which looked a little loose, slightly puffy white shorts with a belt labeled, 'CC2' on it, and white and green boots. She may have also wearing small amounts of spandex, if the black clothing under her gloves, vest, and shorts were an indication.

"I'm CC2, CyberConnect2." the girl introduced herself as. "I was asked to help you out. And, uh, big guy? Appreciate it if you take down your arms."

Cameron slowly lowered his arm cannon, still very cautious of the new girl. "How do we know you're not working for the Basilicom?" he asked.

"You need proof?" CC2 asked. She shook her head gently. "Sadly, I just need your trust since I'm without proof at the moment."

"Cameron, I don't think we have a choice." Compa told Cameron. "I wouldn't think bad people come out so openly."

Neptune seemed particularly curious about CC2's ears and tail. "And people with such soft, fluffy ears and tail can't be bad!"

CC2 giggled heartily. "Oh, Neptune. You're just the same, no matter the realm. And while I appreciate the comment on my ears and tail, they're fake."

Neptune seemed surprised. "Really?! I'm almost positive the velvet soft is real." she prodded, poking the ear of CC2's hat.

IF, on the other hand, focused on CC2's other line. "'Realm'? Are you from another place, too?"

"Judging from the looks on your face, I'm gonna assume that you've met others like me, too." CC2 guessed.

IF seemed to be accepting. "I guess I can trust you."

"Same here. Sorry for being so doubtful back there." Cameron apologized.

"No worries. Now, we need to get you all out of here. Follow me." CC2 instructed, heading into the forest from where she came.

The group followed along, but Cameron… he couldn't help but notice something. Freddy had been quiet all that time while CC2 was introduced. And… unless his eyes were playing tricks on him, he could swear that there was a different glint in his eye. It was subtle, sure, but… Cameron could still make it out.

 _(Oooooooooooooohhhh someone likes what he seeeeeeeeeeeeees~)_

Cameron made an internal note to question that when he and Freddy had a chance to speak. Right now, getting to safety was the main concern.

It took a minute or so, but eventually CC2 lead the group out of the forest. No guards were around. Either they already passed by, or something else, but whatever the reason, the party was glad for it.

"The person who asked me to help you is right up ahead." CyberConnect2 explained, pointing up the road.

"Aren't you coming too, CC2?" Neptune asked.

"I was just asked to bring you here, nothing more." CC2 explained. "Besides, those people could still be on the chase, so I'll go mix things up a bit."

"Thanks for all the help, CC2" IF thanked. "Be careful."

"Yeah, no one likes getting caught." Cameron added.

"See ya!" CC2 waved goodbye, merrily heading down the path the way they all came from.

Freddy seemed to almost watch her go as she passed him. Cameron was really starting to get curious about that.

The group another step forward, and saw the person CC2 mentioned before. It was… Financier? She was sitting on a large mushroom, waiting patiently. "Nice to meet you all again." she welcomed.

Vert recognized her instantly. "You were with Blanc…" she slowly said.

"Yes. I am, again, Lady Blanc's chamberlain, Financier." Financier reintroduced.

Cameron wasn't having it. "Are we being deceived again?!" he nearly shouted.

IF looked very deadly serious. "...even if you are a girl, I'll have to go all out if you get in our way."

"Get in your way?" Financier asked, as if the thought was ludicrous. "Why, no! Quite the contrary. I've asked CC2 to help, as I had a favor to ask of you all."

"And we're supposed to believe you because…?" Freddy asked, fingering the handle of his sword.

"Quite hard to believe…" Vert agreed.

"Please, we don't have a lot of time. I need you to follow me." Financier instructed gently. "If you feel at any time a sense of deceit, please, go ahead and do whatever you wish to me. Kill me even, if you think that's wise."

Neptune seemed to be slightly willing. "I think we can trust her. I mean, there's gotta be a good reason behind this." she offered. "And, well, I'd like to see any people that AREN'T telling the truth to say that last line honestly."

"Neptune, you can't be serious…" Vert asked.

"I second Nep-Nep." Compa added. "I feel like we can trust her."

Vert sighed in a defeated way. "My, you're both so trusting…"

"Thank you. Now, please, this way…" Financier told the group, heading towards the city.

It took about five minutes, but soon enough our heroes were in the heart of the city. It looked like a winter wonderland here, with people of all shapes and sizes running around, happily playing games or chatting amongst themselves.

"We should be fine now." Financier told the rest of the group.

"Yay! We're in the city!" Compa happily exclaimed.

"See? I told you so. Told you to trust her!" Neptune happily stated.

"I don't sense anyone chasing us…" Vert agreed, slowly warming up to Neptune's enthusiasm. "It seems that we are indeed safe now."

"Now that you're safe, I need you to meet another person." Financier explained.

"This person is why you helped us?" IF asked suspiciously.

"Yes." Financier agreed.

"Don't tell me…" Cameron groaned. "Lady White Heart?"

"Ah… that's, uh… partially correct, but… oh, this is quite hard to explain…" Financier struggled to put her thoughts in line.

But before she could try to explain further, suddenly, two people came up to Financier. Two men, oddly enough, possibly brothers. Both seemed a bit upper class, if the red suits they wore was any indication The younger looking one of the two quickly greeted the group, saying, "Hello there, Financier. It has been quite a while."

 _(*hard deep breath* And now, meet the two most unsubtle men in the entire universe. I'm gonna need a gag bag…)_

The older one of the two quickly noticed both Vert and Compa. "I see two delicate beauties. Are they the ones you mentioned?"

"Yes. I was somehow able to get them away here, away from the Basilicom." Financier told the two.

"I see." the older of the two men stated. "My name is… Older Brother. This here is Younger Brother."

Compa tilted her head. "Older Brother and Younger Brother? What unusual names."

"Oh, they're not our real names. They're aliases. Right, Older Brother?" Younger Brother asked.

"Yes." Older Brother agreed, before turning towards Vert. "...the beauty with the eyeglasses. Can you grace us with your name?"

"My, what an honest person! My name is Vert." Vert introduced, smiling warmly.

"Vert… ah, what a kind and voluptuous name… may I call you Lady Vert?" Older Brother asked.

Vert giggled. "Why, most certainly."

Cameron raised an eyebrow. Was this was going where he thought it was…?

"Now, the maiden with the flowing pink hair." Younger Brother turned. "May I receive your name?"

"Me? My name is Compa." Compa introduced.

"Ah, Compa… the name resonates angelic beauty and bounty…" Younger Brother praised.

"That's the first time anyone has praised my name." Compa giggled, blushing a tiny bit.

Cameron squinted at the two men. They better not be…

"Hey there! My name is Neptune! Pleased to meetcha!" Neptune introduced happily.

"I'm IF." IF introduced.

Older Brother glanced back to Financier, ignoring Nep and IF. "Financier, so will they be seeing…?" he asked.

"Yes. It may be complicated, but I believe that they can help." Financier agreed.

"Very well. Let us lead the way as gentlemen." Younger Brother stated, holding his gloved hand out to Compa. "Lady Compa, this way."

"Oh, thank you." Compa thanked, taking the younger man's hand.

"Lady Vert, may I? The footsteps ahead are slippery, so let me lead the way." Older Brother swooped in.

"Why, how kind of you." Vert giggled, taking Older Brother's hand. The four of them started walking away a little bit.

Neptune, IF, and Cameron were all blinking a little at what just happened. It was a good three seconds before anyone even said anything.

"Umm… Iffy? Cameron?" Neptune asked slowly.

"Nep… did you notice it too?" IF asked back, an angry look starting to form.

"Those two are dissing us, right?! Being so nice to only Compa and Vert!" Neptune summed up angrily.

"I don't know what those two are up to, but I haven't felt this irritated before." IF added slowly.

"I'm so sorry." Financier apologized. "Those two are only interested in those with… special arrangements."

"Wh… at…?" Neptune broke off.

IF looked beyond steamed. "Wait? Now we're being prejudiced by our chests? What is wrong with Lowee?!" she nearly yelled.

"If those two even DARE try to make any sudden moves…" Cameron breathed. He seemed like he was about to explode and rain down on those two men.

 _(Honestly, I'm surprised you didn't. At least, not at first.)_

"Oh, NOW it's on!" Neptune angrily announced.

"Nep, I'll turn the blind eye." IF agreed. "Go transform… show them your stuff!"

"I'll even help with that. NO ONE steals my party members!" Cameron added on, rubbing his gloved hands together slowly.

"Will do on that, Iffy!" Neptune started to agree. But in the next moment, Neptune… paused. "...oh, but… wait…!"

"Hmm? What's the matter, Nep?" IF asked.

With a bright flash, suddenly Neptune transformed. With that done, she briskly approached the retreating backs of the two men. "Hey, wait up, you two!"

The two men paused at Purple Heart's now much more adult voice. "Hmm? That voice…" Older Brother mused.

The brothers, Compa, and Vert turned around to see Purple Heart standing before them, looking rather… what's the right word? Expectant, maybe?

Younger Brother looked shocked at the goddess that stood before him. "Wha-?! A full-bodied idol, in place of the flat wonder of the world?!"

"This is my _true_ power!" Purple Heart exclaimed, striking a pose that clearly showed off her… well, you can probably guess.

"Oh, please forgive us for not being able to see past your flat wall." Older Brother profusely apologized.

"Insolence aside, may we ask for you name?" Younger Brother asked.

"Neptune." Purple Heart granted.

"Ahhhh… a name of delight and regality of a thousand full moons…" Older Brother complimented.

"It is as if, purity in tangible form… a goddess-like name, no doubt." Younger Brother agreed.

IF looked like she just blew a gasket. "Wha-what?! Nep, are you betraying me?!"

"I'm sorry, Iffy, but…" Neptune apologized, gesturing up and down her body. "This is me."

 _(*more hard breathing* I… I don't know what I was thinking. I just got caught up in the swing of things, okay?)_

She started to walk ahead of everyone else, leaving behind a very, very angry IF in her place. "N-N-N-NEP! YOU DIRTY TRAITOR!"

"Freddy." Cameron suddenly butted in, sounding extraordinarily calm.

"Y-yes?" Freddy stammered back.

"I suggest that you hold me back. Unless you want to have nightmares tonight." Cameron instructed.

Without much more of a warning, Cameron started charging after the two men that just out of nowhere stole his party members from him. Worst of all, THEY WENT ALONG WITH IT. THAT, dear friends, in inexcusable.

Financier could only watch as the group slowly unraveled before her very eyes. "Ah… hahah… are… are they really going to be… okay?" she nervously asked.

She began to catch up with the others, as to make sure they didn't wander.

In the distance, Cameron's thundering steps were only matched by the angry steam sound escaping from IF's ears…

* * *

 **And there we go. Bit shorter than normal, but still a good length nonetheless.**

 _Awww… I wanted to get further…_

 **Sorry Neptune, but no dice. Two reasons: One, this chapter has taken long enough already, and two, I really didn't want to keep going much further, because it might have made me go over a sort of… limit.**

 _What limit are you talking about, Butter?_

 **In due time, Vert. In due time.**

 **Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Sorry about taking so long and junk, but I have my reasons. *cough* school *cough***

 **If you guys have any questions for me or the goddesses themselves, just PM me and we'll (eventually) find them. I'd like to note that my phone is going through some… technical issues at the moment, so I might be a while before I respond to some PM's though. Just something I wanted to toss out there.**

 **Until next time guys, this is ButterHunter signing off for the day. Stay awesome! =D**


	23. Wait, Two of Them? !

Chapter 23: Wait… Two of Them?!

"Lady Vert, you are truly like a goddess!"

"Heh, well, she is one, you know…"

"The name Neptune is also a name for the goddesses, as well!"

"Pfft… she is one too…"

Older Brother and Younger Brother both kept consistently praising Vert and Neptune, currently transformed as Purple Heart, with snarky comments from IF that only Cameron was able to hear.

Cameron was still seething. How FAITHful of his FRIENDS to simply up and ditch him like that when this pair of men come along.

Heh. 'Men.' Now there's a word not many people are used to saying in this universe, am I right?

 _(... your humor is wasted here.)_

 **(...shut up.)**

It was only with Freddy standing near him, making sure that he didn't try to lunge forward, that he was able to keep the story free of excessive violence, and keep it from needing from creating an actual Fiction MA rating. But still, it was almost as if storm clouds were circling his head even as they moved.

"Iffy is all apathetic and everything…" Compa nervously commentated.

"And Cameron is no better…" Freddy mumbled with her.

Financier managed a forced laugh.

"Um… that reminds me, where are we heading for?" Compa asked, glancing nervously over to Cameron as well.

"Oh! Where are our manners?" Older Brother asked himself dramatically. "With the presence of all these goddesses around us, we almost forgot."

"Duh… they are goddesses…" IF murmured even quieter.

"Being 'gifted' is such a crime, isn't it, Older Brother?" Younger Brother asked.

"Oh yeah, sorry for lacking in the gift package here…" IF mumbled, so angry she couldn't even raise her voice.

If either of the Brothers had said anything else about 'packages' or 'gifts,' Cameron would've probably exploded or charged into a flat out rage. Or both. Thankfully, Older Brother instead started explaining things. "In short, we are part of a resistance group here in Lowee."

"Resistance… well, that's easy to tell, but resistance of what exactly?" Vert asked.

"Why, none other than the CPU of Lowee, Lady White Heart of course." Younger Brother explained.

Purple Heart seemed very shocked by this news. "Wh-what?!"

"Aah, that's obvious… Lady White Heart is 'lacking' all over…" IF mumbled, loud enough for everyone to hear. "I bet you just want to bring her down so you can put up Miss Milk Jugs, huh?"

Compa was so nervous she was nearly shaking. "Umm… Nep-Nep? Iffy's apathy level just went up again…"

Purple Heart looked sorry. "I'm sorry Iffy… all because I betrayed you…"

Vert, on the other hand, seemed not the least bit fazed by IF. "Well, if what Iffy said is true, then I have half a mind to be fine with it."

"Oho! Is that true?!" Older Brother exclaimed.

"For you, we would follow you to the end of the world!" Younger Brother agreed.

"Please, just let me at 'em already…" Cameron pleaded with Freddy, the younger guy barely managing to keep Cameron from charging like a crazed wildebeest at the Brothers. "I just want to kill them a little bit…"

"That is the LAST thing we need right now." Freddy shushed under his breath.

Financier finally stepped between the Brothers and the party. "If I let them continue on, this will just get worse. Let me explain."

She took a deep breath, waiting for an argument. When nothing happened, save for a few more angry grunts from Cameron, she started to explain. "Lowee was a Land abound in joy and laughter among both the young and old. But of recent, Lowee has placed weight in becoming a Land of power… slowly but surely, we are becoming a Land focused on dominating the world…"

Her even tone helped drain away some of the tension that had just been building ever from the last chapter. Even Cameron managed to partly lose some of the anger. Now he only wished to break a leg or something.

Vert looked rather concerned. "That's quite unexpected, especially from Lowee…"

"The people were against the change, but this is Lady White Heart's will…" Financier continued. "That's why we have formed a resistance group to get Lowee back to normal."

Cameron made to mistake of opening his mouth and turning to IF. "IF, didn't you know at least something about this?"

IF seemed to be breaking down. "Small isn't bad… I mean, some people do like small… small… *sob*"

"I think IF still have a little bit of, ah, residual damage done…" Freddy nervously commentated.

Compa turned to Purple Heart. "Umm, Nep-Nep? Iffy is getting worse…"

"Iffy is much more worried about 'size' than I expected…" Purple Heart murmured gently, regretfully.

Cameron nervously placed a hand on IF's shoulder. "Uh… how… do we get her back on the straight and narrow…?" he asked.

Vert, however, already had a plan. "Iffy? If you don't become normal, I'm not going to like you anymore."

The statement sent shockwaves directly through IF's body, snapping her out of her negative mood. "Wh-wha-?!"

Vert made a big show making a long, drawn out sigh. "I ADMIRED that strong, yet cool demeanor of yours along with your cuteness. But now your eyes are dull, with a lack of any hope. That's not the Iffy I know."

The light threat from Vert instantly snapped IF right out of it. "Based on my intel, Lowee began its militaristic reform a few months ago." she explained quickly, stars flying around her head and her emotions now in check. "Lady White Heart changed all of the sudden, making such drastic changes."

Vert couldn't suppress her growing smile. "Now THAT'S the Iffy I know…" she cooed.

The others were rather surprised. "Wow… she, uh… changed quickly…" Purple Heart put into words.

"Well, now I know how to make IF listen: threaten to not like her anymore." Cameron stated with a roll of his eyes. IF shot him a look, but made no comments.

Instead, she turned to Purple Heart. "Nep, you should probably change back. You're going to tire yourself out like that." she instructed.

"Oh, yes, right." Purple Heart agreed, quickly switching back to normal Neptune.

Things FINALLY starting to calm down again, Compa turned back to Financier. "What happened to Lady White Heart, Miss Financier?"

Financier sort of glanced to the side awkwardly. "It would be much better explained by the person that you will soon be meeting. We're here."

Financier gestured to a regular building the group wasn't that far away from. At least, it didn't LOOK that different. It looked just like the others around it, maybe a little bit bigger than most, but otherwise unremarkable.

Financier lead them inside. Nothing truly noteworthy popped out at the group, save for a large map on a table that mapped out the entirety of Lowee, including 'safe zones' and the 'Basilicom moblie points.'

Financier brushed past this and instead opened another door, entering first before letting the others enter. As they were, they clearly heard her say, "Excuse me, but I bring to you our powerful allies."

Cameron's imagination was trying to guess what this leader looked like. Maybe a short, yet brave person hefting around more weapons and items than their tunic should reasonably be able to hold. Maybe with a gem and equipment obsession or something like that.

He, like the rest of his party, was not expecting who it really was.

A girl, laying face-down on a couch (or maybe a futon, whatever) had her face half buried in a book with a green tube of some kind on the cover, with a star plant poking out of it. Her eyes were stark blue, her hair was a light brown her outfit was… was…

'Wait a minute… wait a minute…!' Cameron slowly started to realize.

"I'm busy now." the voice of Lady White Heart explained firmly. "I'm sorry, but can you lead them out?"

It was a stunned silence for all of three seconds as the party processed this. When it did, all they could could say was, "Whaaaaaaat?!"

Financier doggedly tried to continue. "They came all this way here for us. It would be a shame to send them off."

Neptune was half hiding behind Cameron, who already had a hand on his sword hilt. "Wh-wh-why is Lady White Heart here?!" she asked fearfully.

"Why not?" Lady White Heart asked, as if the answer was obvious. "This is my room, you know.

The Lady stood up. It was an exact match to the Lady they had met not even two hours ago, right down to the height.

"This is the leader of our resistance and CPU of Lowee, Lady White Heart, Blanc." Financier introduced formally.

Neptune was trying, and failing, to settle on one emotion to showcase, explaining why she was now settling on her 'Neptune Troll Face.' "Wh-whaaat?"

"Nep-Nep is so confused on what is happening she doesn't know what to do." Compa commentated helpfully, trying to make sense of it all herself.

Blanc looked a little annoyed. "Be quiet… if you're going to cause such a commotion, do it outside."

Vert, out of the whole party, looked like she finally understood. Pressing the bridge of her glasses up her nose a bit, she smiled and asked, "I think I understand what is going on now. She's the real Blanc, isn't she?"

Financier nodded earnestly, glad that someone understood finally. "Yes, exactly." she punctuated.

Freddy was absolutely lost. "Umm… Lady Vert…? Care to explain for the less understanding?" he asked gently.

"Yeah, before I get a headache from trying to piece this apart myself?" Cameron added on. Neptune and Compa were no different.

Even IF was a bit lost. "Wait… Lady Vert, what do you mean 'real?'"

Clearly Vert had not wanted to be the one to have to reveal all this at once. "Oh my! Please, not all at once… Financier, would you please explain?"

At that moment Older Brother seized an opportunity. "Oh, no. Please, allow me to explain in place of Lady Vert."

"I will also add on in the fair name of Lady Compa." Younger Brother tagged on. Cameron felt his jaw noticeably twitch.

Blanc sighed. "You guys are here, too?" she asked, in what was an unmistakable tone of regret.

"*sigh* With Lady Vert in our presence, how 'little' our CPU seems…" he sighed, barely troubling to lower his voice.

Blanc looked up in sudden anger. "...what did you just say…?" she asked, and there was no mistaking a very threatening undertone, as if they better have NOT said anything.

Even the Brother's wasn't enough of an idiot to not take the hint. "Nothing! Nothing, my Lady." Younger Brother smoothed over, straightening the tiniest bit.

Suddenly, Cameron had a lot more respect for this Blanc, and it wasn't out of fear.

Financier again tried for a forced laugh, then gave up, sighed, and asked, "Look, can we please get on with this?"

Older Brother started to explain. "In short, Lowee was taken over by a fake Lady Blanc."

Younger Brother added on, "The Lady Blanc at the Basilicom is Conversation in disguise.

Cameron inwardly groaned. "Why am I not surprised…?" he quietly asked.

Older Brother took that as a sign. "Ahh, if you know of her, then it will be much easier to explain. Evangelizer, Conversation, has the ability to steal and copy powers."

"Our Lady was ambushed, and her power as a goddess was taken along with Lowee." Younger Brother agreed, looking solemn.

Blanc angrily shook her head. "Don't remind me of her! I trusted her and this is what I get!"

"So in short, you formed this resistance in order to get things back to normal." Vert assumed.

"That's right." Blanc agreed, before doing a double take at Vert. "Wait a minute… I've seen you before… somewhere…"

Vert took off the fake glasses, bouncing in place the tiniest bit. "My, do I need to remind you, Blanc?" Vert asked.

 _(Oh my goddesses it was Vert all along! *GASP*)_

 **(DUN DUN DUUUUUUNNNNNN!)**

 ***Over in the corner, Noire facepalms, and Vert smirks happily***

Blanc immediately recognized her. "Vert?! Why did you come to Lowee?!"

"I came for If-, er, I came for Cam-... *ahem* I came to help Neptune and pay Conversation a visit." Vert explained, blushing the tiniest amount at the near-slip-ups.

Blanc didn't seem to notice nor care about the first bits. "So, that small purple pint next to you is…" she guessed, quickly becoming angry.

Neptune knew that she had to say something very fast. "I kinda lost my memory, but… hey-hey, Blanc! Long time, no see!"

Blanc became very, very guarded. "So… you both came here to fight me for positions in the Console War…"

Nep waved her hands in front of her. "Stop, stop, stop!" she cried. "Before this becomes a very long, drawn out wall of text… I didn't come to fight you. To top it all off, I can't remember a thing, so… can we just put that behind us, and be friends?"

Blanc looked a tiny bit confused. "Don't remember? You?"

Compa raised a finger. "We can confirm that."

Blanc tossed the thought around for maybe a little longer, but eventually dropped it. "...very well, if you say so. I see no reason to place doubt."

Financier was glowing. "Lady Blanc, they are impressive allies, are they not?"

Blanc slowly admitted, "...true… I couldn't have asked for better allies…"

Then she stiffened. "But this is Lowee's issue. I cannot have other CPU's helping me. I figure out a way to solve everything."

Cameron snorted. "Fat load of good that's done ya now…" he murmured.

Blanc shot daggers at him. "What was that?"

"Oh, nothing important." he denied casually, not even the slightest bit nervous.

The Brothers and Financier looked at him like he was rather insane. Heck, even his party looked at him funny.

Blanc opened her mouth to say something else, but whatever it was died in her throat as the entire building shook violently.

"Wo-woa-woah! What was that?!" Neptune yelled in confusion.

Older Brother quickly became guarded. "That tremor… it seemed to have come from outside…"

Suddenly, a very familiar face ran into the room, stopping in front of Blanc. "('・ω・′) Lady Blanc, we have trouble."

Neptune was the first one to speak. No one couldn't have possibly forgotten that face. "Ran-Ran! Howzit! You should've called if you were coming."

Ran Ran, still not the greatest at emotion expressing, looked absolutely puzzled by this purple-haired imp talking to her. "('・ω・′) …Ran-Ran doesn't know you. Who are you?"

 _(Wha…? Did you just call me a purple-haired imp?)_

 **(It's a lovable nickname, Neptune. Just roll with it.)**

Vert quickly stepped in. "Neptune? This Ran-Ran is not the same one with me." she gently explained.

Neptune looked positively taken back. "Huh? Really? They kinda look the same…"

Cameron couldn't resist the smallest snort. This Ran Ran was an exact match to Vert's back in Leanbox, right down to the outfit. 'Kinda same' was an understatement.

Blanc ignored all of them. Speaking to Ran Ran, she asked, "So, what's the problem this time?"

The second Ran Ran wasted no time. "('・ω・′) The Basilicom is attacking us."

Blanc growled, cursed to herself, and then headed for the door. Everyone else dashed right after her.

Blanc stopped. Striding into view was the fake Blanc, Conversation in disguise. She was very far away, but she was looking right at Blanc.

Neptune was the first to catch up to Blanc. "Are ya okay, Blanc? You look kinda pale…"

"It's because my Shares are down… but don't worry. I can still handle this…" she managed, looking brave.

"Don't overdo it, Blanc." Vert insisted.

Blanc angrily sighed. "Yes… I know…"

She stepped forward and met with her doppelganger. "Finally came out, did you?" the fake asked. "You fake."

Blanc took an angry step forward. "I'll send those words right back at you."

"Hah! Talking tough, as usual." Fake Blanc scoffed, still looking very calm. "I'll exterminate you along with those heretics around you."

Fake Blanc turned around. "Come, Killachine." she called.

All at once, a brand new Killachine roared, charging in from behind Fake Blanc. It stood ready, poised for orders.

Blanc visibly paled.

"Go and destroy them, city and all!" Fake Blanc commanded.

Something inside Blanc seemed to snap at those words. "Destroy…? City…?"

Her entire form shook with a rage so intense, she nearly started steaming. Everyone except Fake Blanc and the Killachine wisely took a tentative half-step backwards.

"Ummm… B-Blanc…?" Neptune, very delicately, called.

With no warning whatsoever, Blanc's bangs suddenly fell over her face more, shading her eyes in darkness. However, Blanc's left eye was now glowing with a bloody crimson.

Then came the volume.

"So you're going to kill everyone?" Blanc yelled, her voice loud enough to rival mic feedback playing on twenty speakers at once. "Damn you! You stuck-up *****!"

 _(New regimen requires that we actively censor certain swear words for a time. Don't blame me, it wasn't my fault. And given how much Blanc does it, I think it's a good time for it.)_

 **(Oh, and also: OWWWWW! MAI EARS! I HEARD IT THROUGH THE SCREEN!)**

Neptune instantly covered her ears. "OW! MY EARS!" she shouted.

Compa cowered behind Neptune. "Yikes! Ne-Nep-Nep…? Lady Blanc… is scary…" she murmured.

"Oh god, please tell me she's not the silent-but-quick-to-explode-when-angry type?!" Cameron pleaded.

Financier grimaced. "Unfortunately, yes. And one correction: 'Explodes' is an understatement…"

Blanc quickly turned back to the party, flashing her red eye right at them. "Shut yer traps before I have to shut 'em for ya!" she demanded, stomping her foot so hard, the pavement under her feet nearly cracked.

"...see?" Financier added, her voice suddenly very small.

Freddy winced, sweat tracing down the side of his face. "The exact kind of person you don't want on the opposite side, huh?" he summed up grimly.

Fake Blanc seemed completely unaffected by Blanc's rage. "It doesn't matter what you say. Killachine! Finish them!" she yelled, before dashing away to where she came.

Blanc almost chased after her. "What?! You running?! Bring your clothes and yourself back here, you coward!"

Killachine then chose the worst possible move it could have done: it decided to heft it's weapon and look directly at Blanc.

It was impossible at that moment to who could have posed a bigger danger: tiny Blanc with a fury so intense it radiated over everything around her, or the Killachine, sleek, shiny, and with a giant weapon in it's hands.

"What?! You wanna play?! Let's do this!" Blanc yelled, and in that moment, she transformed.

Transformed Blanc, Lady White Heart, looked very similar to her normal counterpart. Her hair was the same style, just messier, with a very profound cowlick, stark white in color, and some strands almost reaching her stomach. Her eyes were now a reddish-pink color. Her outfit now changed to resemble something similar to a bathing suit with unattached sleeves, white in color, with black and light blue details decorating it. As an added bonus, she grew a few more centimeters, though not very many, barely reaching above untransformed Neptune, if at all.

She now had her weapon in her hands, a giant battle axe, easily as long, maybe longer, than her. She looked more than ready to fight; she looked ready to tear some heads off.

Compa turned to Neptune. "You should change too, Nep-Nep."

IF tagged on, "Can you please change too, Lady Vert?"

"Aye-aye!" Neptune confirmed with a salute.

"You can count on me." Vert stated calmly.

In two bright flashes, Vert and Neptune changed into their respective goddess forms. The flashes, however, caught the attention of White Heart.

"The hell you going HDD here for?!" she yelled indignantly. "I don't need your stinkin' help!"

Purple Heart pulled her sword out nonetheless. "Oh shut it. This is to protect the people here."

"Yes. As CPU's it is our duty to help the people regardless." Green Heart agreed.

White Heart tried to argue, then gave up. "...tch. Suit yourselves…"

 _Blanc has joined the party!_

 _Battle start._

This new Killachine bore down on our heroes, just as menacing, if not more, as the last one. It looked the same, from the solid steel serpent-like body to the giant hunk of iron and steel that served as a mace. Shiny, deadly, and altogether a mechanical marvel, Cameron still got the feeling that it was going to be a much tougher fight.

He was very thankful to have three extremely strong goddesses around him, all raring to fight, some much more than others. IF was set to switch with him, Compa with Green Heart, and Freddy with Purple Heart.

Green Heart and Purple Heart quickly used their turns to start rapidly slashing at the Killachine. It was decently effective damage-wise, but Cameron knew the real reason why they were doing it: they were charging up the EXE Gauge. That's where the REAL damage came from. He'd seen it twice from his own overpowered moves, and once from Purple Heart and Green Heart each.

Cameron opted to use his arm cannon this time around. He knew his hands wouldn't be negatively affected by going melee, and his sword wouldn't break anytime soon, but he didn't want to push it.

Killachine soon moved, thrusting its mace directly into White Heart. Amazingly, she seemed the least bothered by it, HP-wise and physically-wise. 'She must have high defense…' Cameron mused.

He used a few of his rush moves a few times, as did the others, and soon enough the EXE gauge was filled to two. White Heart looked as though she was getting antsy just swinging at the thing slowly.

"Am I allowed to destroy this thing yet?!" she practically shouted at the others, gripping her battle axe rather tightly.

Cameron, ever the tactician, offered a solution. "Well, if you have any EXE skills, now would be a good time to use them."

White Heart started grin. "Never thought you'd ask." she stated, her grin turning rather… sinister.

The surroundings became the now-familiar super dark that meant an EXE skill was being used. Words appeared above White Heart.

'Hard Break.'

"My blows will destroy anything!" White Heart yelled, hefting her axe and dashing at the Killachine with immense speed. She sent it flying backwards with on powerful strike, then slammed her weapon into the ground. The impact created a fissure that carried over right to the (what do you call it when a robot appears dazed?) Killachine, imploding the moment the two touched.

White Heart still wasn't done. She held her axe out in front of her and started spinning around with such force that she almost created a mini-tornado. Her face was one of complete concentration. Once she build up enough force, she released her weapon, sending it spinning on its own right into the robot, doing good repeated strikes.

But it was STILL not over. White Heart charged forward, grabbing the shaft of her axe that lodged into the ground, jumped high, high into the air, and, her eye turning red, spun forward in the air and slammed down onto the robot, creating a very large beacon of brightly glowing energy that dealt final repeated damage.

Considering that the Killachine had been at two-thirds health before, and now it was knocked down to a single third, her 'Hard Break' move was nothing short of impressive. Brushing a bang that fell into her eyes, she let out a very satisfied puff of air. "THAT'S how to do it."

Cameron was staring, and for very good reason. "Remind me to never get into an argument with you." he said weakly.

The rest of the fight was ridiculously easy. After a little bit of charging up the gauge again, Cameron soon followed up with one of his EXE skills, 'Final Edge,' which nearly sent to robot into defeat. The others cleaned it up, attacking with renewed vigor.

The moment the final blow was dealt, the Killachine whirred, crashed to the ground, and flickered off, defeated.

White Heart looked positively smug. "Don't give a crap where this was made, but all it was, was a piece of junk." she smugly taunted.

Financier spoke up. "I believe most are like junk against three goddesses… I must say though, it is very surprising that a Lastation weapon appeared here."

Purple Heart grunted a little. Towards the end there she had taken a rather strong clip to the shoulder, but she seemed alright otherwise. "I hope it was just me, but it felt like it was a little stronger than before."

The goddesses all reverted back to their normal forms. Blanc turned back to Financier. "Financier. Continue checking the Basilicom's moves and actions. In particular, see if you can find out about their supply routes."

Financier nodded. "Yes, my Lady. Understood." she affirmed, before dashing away.

Everyone headed back their separate ways once they arrived back at the resistance's HQ. Compa, Freddy and IF headed off to one room to regroup and sort things, and Neptune, Vert, Cameron, and Blanc strode off to Blanc's room, quickly grabbing seats around a small coffee table. The Brothers had suddenly disappeared well before the fight had taken place.

For a while the conversation was about the fight they just had. Then, Neptune changed the subject when she remembered something important. "By the way, Blanc, I wanted to ask you something."

Blanc still didn't seem to like Neptune fairly much. "...what?" was her reply.

"I'm looking for an item called a Key Fragment." Neptune explained, pulling out the pieces that she borrowed from Cameron moments before. "It looks like this. Ever seen one?"

"Never heard of it. What is it for?" Blanc asked.

"It's to help free Histy." Neptune replied.

"...is that why you're traveling all over the world…?" Blanc asked softly.

"Precisely. Ten points to Lowee." Cameron agreed. "And once we free her, we're planning on asking her about ourselves."

Blanc digested this. "I recall something about you not remembering?"

"Right again." Cameron agreed earnestly. "Ten more points for Lowee."

"We're a pair o' those rare amnesic heros you'd find in manga and stuff!" Neptune added on, smirking.

Blanc seemed to whisper to herself. "...that means the cause of it was from that last battle…"

Vert cleared her throat gently. "As for me, my powers as a goddess were also taken by Conversation, aka Arfoire."

"Arfoire is Conversation's true name?" Blanc asked, looking at her hands. "...I suppose this is no time to be dueling between goddesses…"

"Indeed." Vert agreed. "Being with Neptune and Cameron for so long made me realize how little we really know of each other. Should we not, at the very least, just talk between the four of us?"

"True… but… is it even possible for us?" Blanc asked. It was a fair question, at least to Cameron. If they had been fighting for centuries, then getting the four of them together would be almost like turning on four nuclear reactors at the exact same time, just waiting for them to explode.

The question hung for an uncomfortably long time. Finally, Cameron cleared his throat and offered, "Well… I'm no immortal being, but I've seen a lot of crazy things. I've seen plenty of monsters that continue to make me look twice, met the most powerful figures in the entire world, facepalmed at least a million times by now, and done all of that in less than a month. If THAT can happen, who's to say the goddesses can find some common ground?"

Vert seemed to agree with Cameron. "It's not going to be easy. We were each born to detest each other from the very beginning. But, the misfortune of Neptune has made us meet on different, friendlier terms."

Neptune seemed to have blinked off for a moment. "Huh? I heard my name. Oh, gosh, don't praise me so much, y'hear?"

As Cameron gave her a gentle flick to the back of the noggin, Vert seemed to almost laugh. "...she may be like this now, but it is why we can talk now, outside of battle."

Neptune tried to understand. "Umm, this is all kinda going over my head for me, so can I just sum it up by saying, 'We'll save Lowee'?" she asked.

"'We'll save Lowee'? That's being rather short of description there." Blanc stated.

"You're stressed from being ousted, and no one's happy, right?" Neptune asked (rather bravely). Let's just help each other out, goddesses to goddesses, and get it over with!"

For the first time, Blanc seemed to be seeing Neptune in a different light. "N-Neptune…"

Vert was on Nep's side. "From a positional standpoint, I should not help you or Lowee… but, we cannot let Arfoire run about, so I will help as well."

"You'd better count me in." Cameron agreed fiercely. "I'm tired of letting that witch ruin everyone's lives. It's time to put her in her place."

Blanc was quiet. She was staring at the three of them, so intent on helping her save her Land, her people…

A glistening tear slowly traced its way down Blanc's cheek. A second soon followed, and a sobbing noise escaped her. "*sob* P-please… h-help, Lowee… I-I'll do anything as long as Financier and the citizens are fine…"

Neptune gently patted Blanc's shoulder, a very sad smile on her face. "Oh, come on Blanc, you big crybaby you. Wipe those tears of yours away. We'll all work together to save Lowee AND Gamindustri, right?"

Blanc, wiping a tear away, slowly agreed, "Y-yes…"

She sat there, still thinking hard to herself. Neptune got the feeling Blanc wanted to be left alone for a time, as did Vert, so they both quickly excused themselves.

Cameron stayed behind. He watched as Blanc gently wiped a few more tears out of her eyes, then noticed him watching her.

"What do you want…?" she asked a little quickly.

"I wanted to make sure you were feeling better before going." Cameron replied. "I don't like seeing others cry in front of me. I want to make them happy again. ESPECIALLY if that person is the goddess of Lowee."

Blanc stared at him for a moment longer, then, fresh tears slowly wormed their way out of Blanc's eyes. She sat there, sobbing a little harder than before. Never had she met a group of people so… so… stubborn…

A hand landed on her shoulder. A firm, yet gentle hand. Blanc glanced up to see…

Cameron had switched seats to sit with with the smaller girl. Blanc stared at him, but allowed him to keep a hand there. She slowly sniffled to herself a little, very slowly calming back down.

Once she was back to normal, she cleared her throat, took a small breath, and asked, "Why… why do you care so much about me? You… you don't even know me."

The answer came to Cameron as soon as the question was asked. "Because I can't just sit back and let this happen. I don't know if I'm from here, or some other Land, or whatever, but what is clear is that I was brought here for a reason. Even if I can't do much, at least I have peace of mind knowing that I'm trying to help." he responded, not missing a beat.

Blanc studied his face carefully. "You… you say you lost your memory, too…?"

Cameron grunted in agreement, rolling his eyes. "Yeah, 'parently the author has something for amnesiacs. Easy to mold them however you want, ya know?"

Blanc eyed him up and down again. It's a little hard to trust someone when you barely come up to their chest high-wise, but Blanc was trying. "So… you don't remember anything?"

Cameron briefly explained. He did know SOME things, namely video games and (to a lesser extent) anime references, but every now and again he'd have some sort of flashback to his old life. His old room, a man in a black suit, random things like that. He was distinctly remember an odd face or name, but nothing more than that.

And the worst part was that the longer he tried to focus on these memories, the fuzzier they became. Either his brain was really trying to keep his memory out of the picture, or something else was happening, but Cameron was worried all the same.

All he knew for sure was that one day Compa found him and Neptune together, both knocked out cold, and he's been trying to help in any way that he could, while also trying to remember himself.

Blanc was a good listener. She looked puzzled herself. She knew for a fact that Cameron wasn't from Lowee, she'd remember a face like his, not to mention that from the way he talked, he'd have been one of the first to join the rebellion. Then where was his home?

"So, anyway… that's my current backstory as it stands." Cameron wrapped up.

Blanc looked at him curiously. "Interesting…" she murmured.

They thought about it for a moment.

Then Neptune poked her head back in. "Cameron? You still in here?"

Cameron stood up. "Yeah, Neptune?"

"Vert's looking for you." Neptune relayed. "Said something about wanting to talk with you?"

Cameron stood up and took a step for the door. "Well… thank you for listening, Blanc," he called over his shoulder.

Blanc didn't say anything.

Cameron followed Nep to a side room that Vert was lazing around in. It wasn't anything special, just a guest room. She was lying on her back, her head tilted back to the door. She smiled a little when she saw Cameron.

"Ah, Cameron. There you are." Vert greeted, as he walked in.

"You wanted to see me, Vert?" Cameron asked.

Suddenly, the door shut behind him. Cameron wheeled around. Neptune had closed the door behind him, and now stood in front of it, grinning devilishly.

Vert stood up. "Yes, yes I did." Vert agreed, slowly walking towards Cameron. Not just any walk, however. It was a walk you only use when you want someone to pay attention to… *ahem*, 'certain parts' of you.

Cameron quickly grew nervous. "U-um… V-Vert? What'cha doin'...?"

Vert opted to not immediately say something. She instead continued her slow, precise walk forward, closing the distance between the two.

Cameron tried to grab the door handle, but was immediately intercepted by Neptune. "U-uh… guys…?" he weakly stammered.

Neither said anything, but the looks they gave him clearly said that escaping them was pretty much impossible.

In no time at all, Vert closed the gap between her and Cameron. While still barely reaching a height above Cameron's shoulders, it was clear who knew what they were doing.

Cameron couldn't help but feel both an extraordinarily amount of foreboding and excitement at the same time.

For nearly ten seconds, no words were said. Vert continued to simply stare rather… _intensely_ into Cameron's eyes.

Then, as if he was remote controlled, Cameron suddenly lost all resistance. Maybe he was tired of always being the one that ended up in a cornered situation. Maybe he wanted to be a proper boyfriend. Maybe he just wanted a cheap way to pedal fanservice into the story.

Whatever his reasons, all we know for sure is that he quickly wrapped his arms around Vert, the obviously closer one to him, and planted a kiss on her lips faster than you could say, 'you're too slow!'

Vert, obviously having not expected such a bold move, stood rather frozen for a moment, the tables suddenly flipped on her. Even Neptune seemed surprised.

Before they fully could react, Cameron pulled away the tiniest amount, just enough to get words out. "Are you just gonna stand there, or are you gonna actually recover sometime this century?"

Milliseconds later, he had continued his kiss. But his words had been enough to shake off Vert's stupor. Her eyes were sparkling with joy.

She pulled him firmly back, adding her own pressure to their moment. It was just her and Cameron, in their own little world together, with no distractions, no interruptions, no…

"Umm… hello? When do I get a turn…?!" Neptune impatiently complained, tapping her foot on the ground. "I didn't become Vert's accomplice in this for nothing, after all!"

Cameron internally sighed, but relented. He pulled away from Vert, who was smiling extremely broadly once she was free, and then turned to Neptune. Her lips were already pursed and pushed out in Cameron's direction.

Cameron rolled his eyes playfully, chuckling. He leaned down (Neptune barely came up to his chest when he stood normally) and gently kissed her for but a moment, before quickly pulling away.

When Neptune looked surprised, he wagged a finger in front of her and said, "That's what you get for being impatient."

Neptune clearly didn't take it very well. Her cheeks puffed up and she crossed her arms angrily at him. Vert was trying hard to stifle a giggle.

Cameron chuckled again, gently flicking Neptune on the head. "Anyway… I get the feeling that there was more to simply calling me here to further what this story tries to pass off as romance. What's up?" he asked.

Vert nodded. Her expression changed to… uncomfort?. "Er… yes, there is." she agreed. Neptune blushed red, suddenly becoming very interested at her shoes.

No one said anything for about five seconds before Cameron, gesturing with his hands in a circular fashion, prompted, "Aaaaannnnd?"

Vert coughed, and then said, "We… we might have realized how angry we might have made you earlier, when those two showed up."

Cameron had almost forgotten about the Brothers. It was rather amazing they weren't drooling over Vert and Compa right now, now that he thought about it.

"I… I just want to say…" Neptune put in, raising her hand. "I'm gonna stick up my hand and say that was a bad call."

"We… might've just been caught up in their words." Vert agreed.

"And their complements." Neptune backed up.

"And their outfits."

"And their forwardness."

"And their-"

"Alright! Alright!" Cameron interrupted, waving his hands. "Geez, trying to make me feel like I'm not trying hard enough?"

Vert cleared her throat again. "Well… Iffy told me just a minute ago… about how you were quite literally steaming out the ears when they swooped in."

Cameron looked at both of the goddesses, each with a similar expression of, well, regret. He already knew he'd never be able to stay mad at them, even if he tried.

"Ahh… forget about it. Let's just… put that behind us. It doesn't matter now. I was just… jealous, I guess. I mean, two men in fancy clothes and honeyed words, swooping in on my harem, it just… kinda set me off a little bit, you know?"

Neptune and Vert slowly nodded. "So… you're not mad?" Neptune asked.

"At you? No." he replied. "At those two? Kinda, yeah. Still would like to introduce them to the business end of my fist."

Vert and Neptune visibly relaxed. They were just glad he wasn't mad at them.

"Anyway, those brothers are taking up too much time out of this day. We need to discuss strategy. You know, how we're gonna get on Lowee's good side, how we plan to approach the Basilicom, that sort of thing."

Suddenly, Neptune clutched her stomach as if she had a stomach ache. "Oh no…"

"What?! What's wrong?" Cameron asked worriedly.

"Talking… strategy… makes my stomach hurt… I need to use the little goddesses room…!" she managed, dashing to the door, unlocking it and then running off.

Cameron facepalmed dejectedly. "That is, without a doubt, the lamest excuse to get out of a room I've ever heard."

He flopped down onto the couch, sighing. "Well… guess that's one way to leave a room…?" he asked.

Vert giggled into her hand a little. She sat down next to Cameron, still smiling at him as he started shaking his head. She placed a hand on his back and rubbed gently.

"*sigh*... well, at least you haven't ditched me yet, Vert." Cameron offered, looking up at her.

Vert grinned a little mischievously. "Only so I could do this."

And then she resumed her lip-lock on Cameron.

Somehow, Cameron had expected that to happen. He didn't even feel the littlest bit surprised, a rare occurrence. He soon kissed Vert back, wrapping his arm around her tightly.

They stayed together for quite some time, surprisingly not getting interrupted during it all. When they finally did part, they felt contented simply staring into each other's eyes.

Vert slowly stood up. "I think I should find Iffy. If we are going to talk strategy, then she'll want to be a part of it, no?"

Cameron agreed, and Vert left. Cameron felt content, and for a moment, his troubles seemed to disappear, all his problems felt solved.

His body relaxed. He felt his eyes gently closing.

He… felt his breathing slow down…

 _And suddenly, he remembered something._

 _It was a city._

 _A bustling, noisy city._

 _Cameron was sitting on the ground, inside one of the alleyways. His stomach seemed to groan with hunger._

 _In his hands was the same laptop he had before, but it was broken, recently by the looks of it. He angrily tossed it in front of him, cursing._

 _It felt as though it had been a long time since his other flashbacks, several months maybe. Cameron felt completely miserable, as though something had gone wrong._

 _A voice, different than the one he had been hearing, called out. "Cameron! I know you're around here!"_

 _Cameron stood up quickly. He knew that voice, and it scared him._

" _You can't hide forever!" the voice called again, now louder. Footsteps started stamping towards him. "I'll find you!"_

 _Cameron started running… he kept running…_

 _Through parks, streets, and alleys, he kept running._

 _Whatever was behind him kept chasing him. The voice kept shouting at him._

 _Eventually, Cameron was caught in a dead end. The only things near him was a trash can or two, an empty box, and what looked like a rusty dagger._

 _Cameron quickly grabbed the dagger, holding it defensively. He prayed for strength, prayed for safety…_

 _Prayed for hope._

 _The figure that had been chasing him came closer…_

 _Closer… closer…_

 _Cameron's knuckles became white, gripping the handle of his dagger._

 _And… and…_

And everything went white.

…

* * *

 **Well then.**

 **That was… interesting.**

 _(What… was that?)_

 **That, dear Neptune and co… was the next clue to Cameron's backstory.**

(...)

 _(_ _..._ _)_

 **What?**

 _(I don't know if I've said this before, but shouldn't WE know how that backstory goes? After all, we've lived this story ourselves.)_

 ***shrug* Perhaps… or maybe not.**

(What is THAT supposed to mean?)

 ***shrug again* Mm. I don't know… what do YOU think it means?**

(I personally think that you're running this story a little strangely.)

 ***nearly falls over* What the-?! *turns around***

 _(Oh hey, Blanc! What's new?)_

 **And why on earth is your text simply regular text? I though FanFiction supports things like strikethrough?**

(I tried that, but the site didn't seem to like it for whatever reason. Now, I've heard that you were talking about me in your story, Butter.)

 ***visibly pales a bit* You, ah… you have?**

 **(*the other goddesses wisely exit the room, leaving Butter on his own*)**

 ***whispers* Thanks a lot, guys…!**

(Yes, I have. And as such, I think I need to stay here for a litlte while and make sure that you aren't insulting me in any way.)

 ***gulp* O-okay…**

(Why are you staring at me like I'm a ticking time-bomb?)

… **(not gonna answer that)**

(Ohhh kayyy... well, I'll be around.)

 ***watches as Blanc leaves* *breathes a sigh of instant relief***

 **Oh thank goodness… Blanc is hard enough to read, but it's even harder to know what will instantly set her off. I better be careful when I write about her in the future chapters…**

 **Anyway guys, I hope you all enjoyed the newest chapter. First one in a while, huh? I know I'm very slow, and I'm trying to pick it up.**

 **But hey, at least I am still trying, right guys?**

 **(BTW, I did actually want Blanc's '** **author's note' text to be strikethrough, but apparently FanFiction has a personal vendetta against that, so until I have a better idea, her text will be simply regular text in (these), okay? If you guys have any suggestions, I'll be all for it.)**

 **As always, if you guys have any questions for me, PM me and I'll do my best to answer them. Oh yeah, and Neptune wants me to remind you if you have any questions for her or the other goddesses, PM me them too. They'll find them.**

 **This is ButterHunter, and until next time guys…**

 **Stay awesome.**


	24. Lastation, Here We Come (Again!)

**NO TIME TO TALK, JUST READ ALREADY! MUST GET NEW CHAPTER UP BEFORE EVERYONE KILLS ME!**

* * *

Chapter 24: Lastation, Here We Come... Again!

 _Wake up…_

…

 _Wake up…_

…

 _Oh, come onnn…_

…

 _WAKE UP!_

Cameron eye's shot open, and he sat up as though he just woke up from a nightmare.

This… this wasn't the Lowee Basilicom.

This was… black space. The white filling his vision moments ago had suddenly disappeared.

 _You're finally up._

"...!" Cameron remembered that voice.

 _It's about time. I was beginning to get annoyed._

Cameron said nothing.

 _Anyway, you've fallen asleep. You're still laying down on the couch in the guest room. You'll wake up in a few moments, as you were shaking and moaning in your sleep, which attracted attention. In moments, your friends will come back to check on you. Just like last time._

"...you know." Cameron mused. "You know about last time."

 _Of course I do. I made it happen._

"What?!" Cameron shouted.

 _Look, I made it happen because I was trying to speed up your memory restoration myself. That failed, however, so I hadn't tried it again. However, I felt that we needed to talk, so I tried again just now._

"So… that… happened?" Cameron asked, quite shocked. How could he forget something like THAT?

 _Of a sort. I told you: I can tell you everything about you from birth to the time you lost your memory, but you wouldn't be able to fully comprehend it._

"Only when Histoire fully restores it herself…" Cameron guessed.

 _...will you be able to remember and know what really happened._

Cameron stayed quiet.

 _I suppose that you don't understand. I shouldn't be surprised._

Cameron laid down, staring up at the black area all around him.

"I remember…" he softly mused, closing his eyes. "I met Neptune in a place just like this. We were knocked out, but somehow, we met in a sort of linked dream."

… _?_

"It seems like so long ago that it happened." he chuckled. "But it hasn't even been a month. Hell, it's barely been a couple of weeks. I've met so many people, made so many friends… do you think anything will change, when my memory returns?"

 _I… cannot say._

Something about the Voice's tone made Cameron curious. "You… you can't say, as in I won't understand it, or as in you know what will happen?"

The Voice was quiet for all of ten seconds. Cameron feared he asked a bad question.

Then it spoke.

 _Listen. You may not believe me. You may not even like me. You clearly don't know me, for that matter. But what you do know, is that we are connected. We share a bond, even if we don't want it. As such, I know things. Things that wouldn't be good for you to know, at least not now. But just understand…_

 _I'm only doing these things because I care about you._

The Voice started speaking very quickly, as though it wanted to get everything off it's chest.

 _You were so different than the others._

 _You were so kind._

 _So caring._

 _So… everything._

 _But I corrupted you._

Cameron tried to say something, but wasn't able to, for some reason.

 _I changed you._

 _I made you into what you were._

 _So I embraced it._

 _And I want you to remember what happened._

 _Because if you don't…_

 _You'll suffer._

 _I'll suffer._

 _Everyone you know and love will suffer._

 _But what I want most of all?_

 _It's simple._

 _I just want to set everyone free._

 _This world has seen enough suffering._

 _There's only one way to free them._

 _Only when you get your memory will you know._

 _Which is why you need to wake up._

 _Wake up._

 _Wake up._

 _WAKE UP._

…

…

…

"Wake up…"

"Ngn…"

"Wake up…"

"Ngnngh…"

"Oh, come onnn… cover your ears, everyone…"

"Ngmmgh…"

"WAKE UP!"

Cameron's eyes shot open, and he instantly tried to sit up, slamming his face right into Neptune's with the force of a full contact punch.

"OW!" they exclaimed at the same time, rubbing their heads.

Cameron looked around while rubbing his head in pain. Other than Neptune, the others had gathered around him, watching him. Compa, IF, Vert, Freddy, even Blanc had showed up and was looking at him curiously.

"Cameron? Are you okay?" Compa nervously asked.

"You mean other than the light brain trauma from slamming my face into Neptune's? Then yeah." he answered sarcastically, getting into a seated position.

"You… you did it again." IF breathed, her face rather white. "You were passed out, just moaning and twisting, like you were in pain."

"I, uh, was passing by when it happened." Freddy recounted. "You just suddenly cried out, like you were in pain, and… I ran and got everyone."

Cameron, still rubbing his head, closed his eyes. This was becoming rather annoying. Not the concern from his friends, that was great.

No, it was the random passing out, and making his friends worry because of it, that annoyed him. They might start thinking he was losing it.

"What… what was it this time?" Neptune asked.

Cameron sighed. "An… alley." he recounted, suddenly struggling to remember. "I… I was being… chased. By… something. It was in a city, but… it didn't look anything like here… or Leanbox. Or Planeptune. Or even Lastation."

The people in the room digested this. Everyone seemed to be thinking about the same thing:

'What in the name of the goddesses happened to Cameron?'

It was quiet for nearly thirty seconds. Finally, Cameron stood up, and managed, "Well… let's forget about that for now. We have a bigger problem than that: saving Lowee."

Compa nervously put a hand on Cameron's arm. "M-maybe… maybe you should rest, instead. You just woke up from that, and-"

"I'm fine, Compa." Cameron angrily insisted. "I'm just… confused. We can worry about my memory in another chapter, another paragraph. For now, let's just get back to the main storyline."

Clearly no one liked that answer, but Cameron wasn't going to budge, and they knew it. Reluctantly, everyone dropped the topic for the time being.

Blanc led everyone back to her room. While she was leading everyone, Cameron couldn't help but notice his friends giving him glances, like at any moment he would collapse.

He felt his frustration rise. 'Just what I need. My friends thinking I'm losing it.'

Eventually they all made into Blanc's room. Once there, and everyone was situated, IF cleared her throat and stated, "I was actually about to call a meeting myself. I just got some intel for us."

"Ooh! Did you get info on good places that serve pudding?" Neptune asked hopefully.

"I wanna eat some Lowee-made pudding, too." Compa agreed.

"Honestly, I would be more interesting in hearing new game releases in Lowee." Vert mused.

As Cameron facepalmed, IF let out a sigh. "No. I don't think ANY of those can be labeled as intel…"

"Well, not with THAT attitude!" Freddy complained indignantly.

"Do you have any information on soy pudding?" Blanc asked hopefully.

"Not you too, Lady Blanc?!" IF exclaimed.

Cameron, with some help from Neptune, triple facepalmed.

Neptune, all smiles, asked. "Oh, stop stressing, Iffy. So, what's that juicy intel you got?"

"I don't think she'd be stressing so much if it weren't for everyone here…" Cameron mumbled through his facepalm.

"Back on subject!" IF insisted. "Basilicom will be getting weapons from Avenir today."

THAT got everyone's attention. "What?!" Blanc exclaimed, her mind pulled away from thoughts of soy pudding. "How DARE they…!"

"Uhhh, easy, Lady Blanc…" Freddy quickly intoned. "We still have time. We can get to them if we act fast."

Freddy's surprisingly even tone drained away Blanc's anger. "I… I see. Sorry for raising my voice. So, where will this be held?"

"At the… hold on…" IF paused, pulling out her phone. "'Avenir No.2 storage facility.' As for when… today."

"That's… that's all the way at Lastation!" Blanc yelled, her eye turning red.

"Calm Blanc! Calm!" Cameron quickly insisted, holding out his hands. "Think of the children reading this right now!"

"Cameron's right! Heel, Blanc! Heel!" Neptune backed up.

"I'm no dog! Hell no am I going to let them plant crap like those here!" Blanc roared.

"We do know where and when, so I believe there is only one course of action." Vert stated seriously.

"We're going straight there to stop them!" Blanc agreed.

"That's right up my alley! Leave it to me for randomness in events!" Neptune exclaimed proudly.

"Nep-Nep is perfect. She's the queen of the land of random!" Compa backed up just as proudly.

Cameron started to facepalm, but simply gave up for now. He already achieved the triple facepalm today.

"Randomness in a heroine… now that is quite a new take." Vert murmured nervously.

"...I'm seriously doubting that you're really an amnesiac right now." Blanc mused.

 _(What? You don't believe the Nep-Nep? HOW DARE YOU!)_

"There's no time to gang up on Nep. We need to get to Lastation quick." IF insisted.

"But… I can't leave here open…" Blanc quietly stated.

Suddenly, from behind two random curtains, two very annoying people decided to show up. "Lady Blanc? Let us brothers follow Lady Vert in place, then." Older Brother offered.

"We shall protect Lady Vert, Lady Compa, and the transformed Lady Neptune." Younger Brother agreed.

Blanc's eye went red faster than a tsundere's face in front of her crush. "You're just gonna guard those bongos! You guys leave your asses here!"

Older Brother slunk a step away. "W-we were just wanting to help the goddesses in sincerity…" he offered weakly.

Vert stood. "Well, now I guess there's no more worry about the opening. Let us leave now."

"Ah, the abject misery! Lady Vert will be leaving our presence…" Older Brother wistfully moaned.

"Staying behind is just as noble, if not even more. I ask that you hold this deed with honor." Vert asked.

"With our very lives!" the Brothers agreed.

Blanc was seething. "Why am I putting up with these guys…? Irritating…"

"We seem to sync there, Lady Blanc." IF agreed.

"Let me at them. Just a little." Cameron murmured to Blanc.

"Would you two like to… *ahem* 'educate' them later with me?" Blanc asked.

"It would be my honor." IF agreed fiercely.

"Thought you'd never ask." Cameron grinned rather twistedly.

Neptune, Compa, and Freddy watched this with immense nervousness. "This is not going to end well…" Neptune punctuated.

 _(Believe me, you haven't known fear until you see Cameron smile twistedly like that...)_

 **(Mwahahahahahahahahahahahahaha...)**

 _(Stop that! You're creeping me out!)_

* * *

 _One quick trip to Lastation later…_

* * *

Lastation looked just like the others remembered it, only now it was in better shape. Seems as though the restoration efforts worked out quite well.

"So, this is Lastation…" Blanc murmured, looking around.

"First time?" Cameron asked.

"Yes. I never went anywhere outside. Well… aside from Planeptune." Blanc explained.

"Hmm? Why only Planeptune?" Neptune asked curiously.

"There's a special event held there twice a year and… never mind…" Blanc started to explain, then gave up.

"Uhh… Compa? Any events that you know of in Planeptune?" Cameron asked.

"There's the summer festival, but… I don't know of any other…" Compa offered.

"It's an event none of you would understand." Blanc quickly stated, trying to end the conversation.

Vert was in thought. 'I sense affinity with Blanc… how unexpected that she is on 'my side.''

"Urrrgh! Now I REALLY wanna know!" Neptune pleaded. "Please? Tell old Nep what this festival is!"

"Guys? I think the readers are getting bored." Freddy interrupted. "We've got better things to do, remember?"

"Freddy's right, guys. We need to get moving." IF agreed.

"Awww… Blanc and Freddy and Iffy are such killjoys…" Neptune complained.

"I believe a better term for it is, 'funkiller.'" Cameron offered. "And- wait. Do you guys think that maybe Noire can help?"

Blanc looked confused. "Noire?"

"Lastation's CPU, Black Heart." Vert quickly explained.

"Oh, right. Her name was something like that…" Blanc agreed.

'Geez… they've been fighting for so long, they hardly know each other's names…' Cameron thought. 'That's… just rough.'

"Let's at least pay her a visit." Neptune insisted. "I bet she's so lonely by herself, without any friends."

"My, does Noire not have any friends?" Vert asked.

"Starting THAT stale jab, are we?" Cameron berated, squinting at Neptune.

"Please, ignore her. She's the only one saying it." IF told Vert.

"Nope! My intuition in Stand power is telling me she has noooo friends." Neptune insisted. "Noire trying to fix Lastation herself is like saying you got no friends."

"...or… it's the goddess. Trying to help FIX HER FREAKING NATION." Cameron told her loudly.

"Either way… knowing Noire's personality, I wouldn't be surprised." Blanc giggled.

"She does have such a hard-headed approach… it does isolate her from everyone else rather easily." Vert agreed.

"Poor Noire… everyone is talking smack behind her…" Compa gently stated.

"If she finds out about it, she's gonna go ballistic…" Cameron agreed.

"I haven't even met her, and I already feel sorry for her. I mean, she had to put up with THAT." Freddy stated, pointing at Neptune.

"Oh… but Vert, why do you those glasses on?" Blanc asked, noting the pair of fake glasses Vert had put on when the entered Lastation.

"It's a disguise. It would be, at the very least, troublesome if someone found another CPU here." Vert explained, choosing that very moment to bounce on her foot, causing her… *ahem* 'assets' to bounce up a little bit.

Blanc noticed it too. "O… kay… I'll let that jiggle of yours pass this time… but… you do bring out a good point."

From her pocket, Blanc pulled out a pair of her own silver glasses, though these seemed like they were for actual use. She put them on, saying, "Perfect. Disguise, complete."

Cameron shrugged. "Ehhh… I guess that'll work…?" he asked. "Anyway… guess we should go to the Basilicom now, eh?"

The group walked in groups, Neptune, Vert, and IF in one, Compa and Blanc in another, and Cameron and Freddy in the last.

"Hey… dude?" Freddy asked quietly. "Are… are you SURE that you're okay?" Clearly seeing Cameron like he had had shaken him up pretty good.

Cameron let out a breath of annoyed air. "Yes, I'm fine. That isn't the first time it's happened. It's just… I'm trying to remember, but I guess… it's hard for me to do so."

Freddy became quiet. Cameron took that as a sign the conversation was over.

'I DO feel fine.' he told himself. 'I'm… I'm fine.'

Somehow, he didn't quite believe his own thoughts.

 _(How does that work? Does your, like, subconscious not believe what your mind tries to tell itself?)_

* * *

 _A few minutes later…_

* * *

The group stood just outside the Basilicom. "We're here…" Freddy murmured.

"Aren't we going in?" Blanc asked.

"We're already known by the Basilicom and Avenir…" Compa explained, glancing at Neptune, IF, and Cameron.

"Not to worry. Leave it to me and Blanc." Vert offered.

"We are disguised, after all." Blanc reasoned. "Plus, I'm good with negotiations."

"If we work together, we can make any man bend backwards for us." Vert added.

"I guess… I'd wish someone else could go too…" Freddy murmured. "I'd go, but if Arfoire has tipped off the Basilicom, then I'd be too obvious."

Cameron was thinking. "Hmmm…"

"What? You having second thoughts?" Blanc asked.

"No, no… I just had a thought." Cameron answered. "If Vert and Blanc here can perfectly hide themselves just by WEARING glasses…"

He pulled his glasses off. "...then what about if I took mine off?"

 _(... that... that is GENIUS!)_

Freddy scratched his chin, looking at Cameron's face. "Hmm…"

"That could work…" IF agreed slowly.

Cameron blinked. "Though… we might have a slight hitch… is that blur to my left Compa or Freddy?"

"It's Compa. And she's literally an arm's length away from you, how can you not see her?" Freddy responded.

"Well, as long as you can keep around us, then it could work." Blanc interrupted. "Now, can we get going?"

With a semi-blind Cameron following behind, Vert and Blanc entered the Basilicom.

Vert wasted no time talking to the first free employee she found, who was leaning against a wall. "Excuse us." she started, bouncing in place.

The employee looked up from his folder. "Hm? Who are you?" he asked.

"Nice to meet you. My name is Vert. Excuse me, but do you… work here?" Vert asked, putting emphasis on 'work here.'

And all at once, Cameron understood Vert's master plan. He facepalmed.

"Yes. Now, what brings you to the Basilicom?" the staff member asked.

"We came in hopes of seeing Lady Black Heart." Vert explained. "Might we have the honor of seeing the Lady?"

"That cannot be done. Lady Black Heart is not seeing anyone now." the staff member denied.

Indignantly, Vert took a step forward, making the staff member grow nervous. "Wh-why… are you closing in on me?"

"I have these glasses, but I have SUCH a hard time seeing… so sometimes, I need to get… 'close.'" Vert softly explained, leaning forward just a touch. "So, again, about meeting the Lady…?"

"N-no means no." the staff member insisted, nervously glancing side to side. "If I could bend the rules, I would, but-"

"Pleeeease? Just one exception?" Vert pleaded, leaning forward even more.

Cameron was standing back, his hand against his face. 'I regret ever wanting to be a part of this.' he thought, praying that no one was watching.

 **(You know, besides the several dozens of people reading this right now that should probably be doing something better with their time.)**

 _(For being an author, you sure don't think people like your stories.)_

 **(Exactly. Why people like this stuff is beyond me sometimes.)**

"No." the staff member restated again.

That was the moment Blanc decided to step in. "...please?" she insisted.

"...you as well…?" the employee asked.

The next sentence that came out of Blanc's mouth would be permanently burned into Cameron's memory for the rest of his life.

"I wanna see the Lady… Oniichan…" Blanc slyly pleaded, imitating the look of a typical shy school girl from anime.

Cameron's other hand quickly found it's way on his face with the first. His face went red from the little that could be seen.

The staff member's face seemed to gain a slight increase in red as well. "'On-Oniichan'? W-who are you calling brother?" he asked.

"Are you sure? Even after our… pleas?" Vert asked mournfully.

The employee seemed to have had more than enough. "If I've said it once, I've said it to you both a dozen times over. NO."

"But… Onnichan…" Blanc insisted.

"I am NOT your brother! Just because I happen to be a guy doesn't mean it will work. Now, if you both don't mind, I have important things to work on, so I must be going. Good. Day."

With that he roughly pushed past the girls, stopping only to ask Cameron one thing: "Are you with them?"

Cameron, without removing his hands, sighed, then responded, "...right now, I wish I wasn't…"

He quickly grabbed Vert and Blanc and quickly got themselves out of there.

In two minutes, the three of them were back with the others. "Report, Sergeant Blanc." Neptune asked.

"...mission failed." Blanc reported sadly, sighing.

"I honestly am surprised the two directional tactics didn't work…" Vert mused.

"Dude…? Why are you doing your trademark facepalm?" Freddy asked Cameron, who STILL had not removed his hands from his face.

"The less I talk about what those two did to try and get to Noire, the better." Cameron answered through his hands. "For my sanity, and for my safety."

"I suppose that means Noire isn't going to be of much help at the moment…" Neptune sadly summed up.

"I am truly sorry." Vert apologized.

Vert turned to Blanc. "By the way, Blanc? The 'Oniichan' theme was excelle- a bit off."

"Wh-what?! N-no! I-I just read in a book that men like those types of approaches." Blanc quickly defended, her face paling.

"Hoho? What's this about an 'Oniichan'?" Neptune asked, suddenly extremely curious.

Cameron's face further reddened.

"Y-you stupid?! It's none of your concern!" Blanc hissed.

"Oh? Why are you blushing, 'Oniichan'?" Vert teased.

"Argh! Vert, why you…! Any more out of you and I'm gonna reap them melons of yours!" Blanc hissed angrily.

"'I want to see the Lady… Oniichan…'" Vert mimicked, doing a very realistic impression.

"Stop it! All YOU were doing was hanging those udders of yours!" Blanc yelled, her eye slowly turning red.

"My. All I did was use my… aptitudes. Not that you would understand, would you?" Vert asked slyly, bouncing in place again.

Any face that didn't belong to Vert or Blanc suddenly grew pale. Cameron peeked through his fingers as he paled, and Freddy quickly clamped his hands over his ears, his face a hue whiter than milk.

"What. Did. You. Say. Chest-for-brains?!" Blanc yelled even louder. "Seeing 'em jiggle makes me wanna puke!"

" _I_ cannot help my undulating assets. Obviously a theme _you_ need not worry about." Vert informed cooly.

Vert pushed the wrong button. Instantly, Blanc transformed into a very, very angry White Heart, her eye a deep shade of crimson. "Alright, that's it! I'm sending those lumps of fat of yours to the grave!"

In response, Vert herself transformed into a rather calm and collected Green Heart. "My, my. And do you really think that you have the ability to defeat me?" she asked calmly.

"I-I-Iffy…? I feel like the Console War is about to start again… like, right now." Neptune stated, now ten steps away from those two.

"This has absolutely nothing to do with 'Console.' This is just painful." IF responded.

"I got this…" Cameron stepped in, sighing.

Freddy made a cross across his chest. "You're a braver man than me, that's for sure."

Cameron sighed again, then quickly prepared himself…

* * *

 _A few minutes of arguing, yelling, and traveling later..._

* * *

It took a lot longer than Cameron would've liked, but eventually he managed to get the two goddesses to stop arguing at each other long enough to remember the true issue: finding out about Lastation involvement in Lowee.

 _(Didn't you say that this was kinda a point of stress for you?)_

 **(Yeah, I kinda wanted to include a scene where Cameron actually DID try to break up the fight, but it never went the way I wanted. I eventually just decided to scrap it. Happens to the best of us.)**

Eventually, the group arrived at the DMS (A Designated Meeting Spot, Cameron had called it), a place labeled, "Avenir Storage No. 4".

"So, this is where the exchange will take place…" Blanc murmured, focused. It was almost hard to believe that she was fighting with Vert a few mere minutes ago. Almost.

"Seems so…" Cameron agreed.

"Blanc, how do you plan to stop the exchange, exactly?" Vert asked.

"Easy. Destroy everything in sight." Blanc responded simply.

"Not sure whether I like that strategy, or think it'll literally blow up in our faces." Freddy responded, nervously messing with his hair.

"Blanc really thinks exactly how she looks." Neptune commentated happily.

Blanc slowly glanced over at Neptune. "Did you say something…?" she asked slowly.

"No! Sir! Er, ma'am! Nothing, sir, er ma'am!" Neptune hastily responded, her body becoming straighter.

"Still… that would be somewhat effective." IF offered. "It would deter any future transactions."

"If so, let us hurry. Depending on the numbers inside, this might take quite some time." Vert reminded.

That thought in mind, the group entered the building. Enemies were located inside, probably there to keep intruders out. But our heroes were more than capable to take them out, so they posed no immediate danger.

It took a while, probably far too long, but eventually the group reached the main part of the facility, where it looked like everything was being built. Robots were stashed en mass in this part, as well as several important looking machines and conveyor belts shuttling parts back and forth. "Found them. This must be where everything is being built." Blanc mumbled, looking around.

Just then, an all too familiar laugh came from nearby. The group turned to see none other than Ganache, the little weasel in his best suit and tie. "Heh, heh, heh. What a nice surprise."

"Of freaking course." Cameron moaned. "Should've seen this coming.

"I have to agree… this whole 'Ganache = Enemy' thing is getting stale…" Neptune agreed. "Thoughts on that, Compa?"

"I'd like to see someone new, as well. Ganache is getting a bit old." Compa agreed.

Ganache never even skipped a beat. "Well. Seems as though your mouth hasn't changed at all. You even managed to find some new friends. How cute."

"Okay, enough with the small talk. Cut to the chase." Freddy interrupted (he was already well up-to-date on previous encounters with Ganache by the others). "Why are you selling these weapons to Lowee? I mean, even if you make money off it, aren't you just making them stronger?"

Ganache seemed taken back. "...it appears that there is quite the major misunderstanding. Just because we live here in Lastation, that doesn't mean we revere the CPU here as well."

"Wait… you mean…?" IF started.

"I will, and only will revere one, that being Lady White Heart." Ganache stated proudly. "I will obliterate Lastation with pure joy if it is in the name of Lady White Heart."

Cameron blinked. "Okay. Honestly didn't see that one coming."

"But this is perfect! Now's our chance!" Neptune exclaimed.

"What do you mean, Nep-Nep?" Compa asked.

"Well, Ganache follows White Heart, yes? That means he follows Blanc. Surprise surprise, look who's standing next to me!" Neptune explained. "If Blanc talks with him, maybe we can skip a battle scene this chapter!"

"That could work." Cameron agreed. "Or the author could end the chapter before the battle even happens."

"Nah, he's only hit a little over 4000 words in the chapter at this point, he's got time." Neptune denied happily.

 _(Well, was I wrong?)_

"...if so, leave it to me. I'd rather talk than fight, anyways." Blanc stated (causing Freddy to start drawing lines in the air, trying to connect 'Blanc' and 'talking over fighting' in the same sentence).

Ganache, not hearing this exchange, sighed annoyedly. "Are you done talking? I have much more important matters than standing here, so…"

"Halt!" Neptune dramatically interrupted.

Ganache grunted, annoyed further. "What now?"

"If you only knew the power of the white side…" Neptune mysteriously intoned. "Well, I, the grand Neptune, will present to you your very own Lady White Heart! Behold!"

Neptune stepped to the side just as Blanc transformed. In moments, White Heart stood before everyone in all her awe. "I am Lady White Heart!" she announced, like anyone needed the encouragement.

Well, maybe Ganache actually did. The moment White Heart was reveal, Ganache lost all of his cool. It looked as though he was seeing a ghost. "No… no! That's not true! That's impossible!"

"Live long, and be prosperous…!" Neptune shouted, not even trying to hide her enjoyment at the reference.

(Oh, and Cameron completely facepalmed at this point, btw, as the reference hit him like a truck.)

"I see Neptune is incorrectly blending things here…" Vert spoke up, saying exactly what Cameron was thinking.

'Someone please end it now…' Cameron pleaded in his mind, shaking his head.

Anyway, back to the story…

Ganache was sweating quite a bit, his eyes trained at White Heart. "Y-you can't be…"

"Ganache, was it?" White Heart asked. "I understand your dedication to serve me. Yet to do so in sacrifice of others is exactly what I DON'T want to see. If you stop now, I will forgive you, so stop such foolishness."

Ganache quite literally looked like he was having a panic attack. All of his normally calm and collected attitude was LONG gone. What he presumably was trying to say was, "You can't be Lady White Heart!" but it instead turned out to be something along the lines of, "Y… c… n… t… e… dy… Wh… art…"

"What?" White Heart asked, completely confused.

"...u… an't… e… ady… Whi… Hea…" Ganache managed.

Cameron stared at the man with wide eyes. "Am… am I witnessing a heart attack… or something…?" he asked seriously.

 _(Pretty sure heart attacks aren't QUITE this dramatic.)_

"What?! I can't understand you, speak up like a man!" White Heart firmly shouted.

"N-no! You can't be Lady White Heart! You must be the fake I'm hearing of!" Ganache accused.

"The hell are you saying?" White Heart demanded. "I'm the real one and the other one is fake."

"No, you HAVE to be the fake!" Ganache insisted.

"Idiot! I'm tellin' ya' the truth! I'm the real deal, figure it out already!" White Heart yelled, her patience draining.

"No, no, no, no, no, no!" Ganache shouted back. "My angelic Lady White Heart would never be this much of a swearer!"

"Haah?!" White Heart grunted, her eye slowly turning red.

"Oh dear… I've seen these types at expos and conventions before…" Vert mumbled.

"A reality check can be such a cruel mistress…" Freddy sighed.

"Y'know, some kinda go into depression after all this. Right, Iffy?" Neptune stated, glancing at IF.

"W-why are you looking at me?!" IF asked, her face paling slightly.

"Well, you remember when we found that special hidden link on Vert's blog, like, thirteen chapters ago?" Neptune asked. "You were like, 'My Lady Green Heart would never be this much of a gamer!'" she recalled, doing a rather accurate impression of IF.

IF started panicking, whereas Vert simply looked a little surprised. "My, Iffy, I didn't expect." Vert stated.

"N-n-n-n-no! I-I-I-I- didn't… I-i-it isn't true! Don't hate me!" IF pleaded desperately.

Vert smiled. "Oh, now, don't worry. I would never hate you for that. Quite the opposite, I would love to see what other surprises you hold for me."

IF's entire mood did a complete one-eighty. "L-Lady Vert…" IF mumbled, shyly hiding behind Cameron.

"CAN YOU ALL SHUT YER HOLES OVER THERE!" White Heart shouted at the party, causing Vert and IF to pale considerably. "Get your butt-kissin' outta my way! I got some stinkin' crap to take care of!"

Ganache looked much more certain as he yelled, "That confirms it! You cannot be my Lady White Heart! She's loving, caring, considerate to others, she would never ever swear about anything, she…"

This monologue continued for an uninterrupted hour. For your own sanity, I used my author powers to make sure you did not have to sit through the entire things like the others did.

You're quite welcome.

 _(Seriously... YOU'RE WELCOME.)_

"... so you cannot be Lady White Heart!" Ganache finally ended, panting for breath.

"Woah… I thought he was more refined, but I guess not. So hardcore…" Neptune murmured.

"I'm a little… scared…" Compa nervously stated. "What about you, Cameron?"

Cameron and Freddy were back-to-back, leaning against each other, fast asleep. Ganache had lost them both at the five minute mark. You could practically see the Z's as they snoozed.

Neptune snapped her fingers. Cameron suddenly shot his eyes open, causing him and Freddy, now rudely awakened, to tumble to the ground. "Argh, sleeping nekos…!" Cameron said in a half-awake stupor. "Err, I totally wasn't asleep right there."

(( _͡° ͜ʖ ͡° ) Cameron let his thoughts slip~)_

 **(In all honesty I'm surprised that FanFiction would support that Lenny Face.)**

"Who knew Blanc's personality would get in the way of resolution?" Vert asked, helping the two men get back to their feet.

"Oh, sure, sorry for my unrefined self…" White Heart remarked bitingly.

"Now… are we done with all the prattle?" Ganache asked, straightening himself.

"Says the man who literally just rambled on for an hour about what his Lady should or shouldn't be…" Cameron yawned, rubbing his eyes.

"Oy, his character is back again." Neptune added.

"Unfortunately I must hurry, so I will get this over quickly." Ganache stated, reaching into his pocket. A small device, like a remote of some kind, was pulled out, and he pushed a button on it.

One of the nearest robots slowly whirred to life, quickly turning toward the group. "Okey-dokey, looks like it's back to slate one again…" Neptune sadly muttered.

"I do hate fighting, myself, so I hope Killachine 3.0 will suffice." Ganache stated calmly.

"You do realize that we've already destroyed the previous two models, yes?" Cameron asked, cracking his knuckles.

"Nep-Nep! Time to transform and beat up the bad robots!" Compa intoned.

"Here I go!" Neptune gleefully yelled, and in a flash, there stood Purple Heart.

"Please, Lady Vert!" IF called out to Vert.

"My, for you? Of course." Vert agreed, and in another flash, there was Green Heart.

"Actually, come to think of it, I don't think we've properly greeted each other like this." Purple Heart called out to Ganache.

"So it seems. That bumbling Neptune, being the CPU for Planeptune." Ganache said.

"Is that so? You don't seem very surprised." Purple Heart responded.

"Does it look like that?" Ganache asked (as if he really cared). "I am doing my best here to express it. But in any case, I will have you all perish here in the name of Lady White Heart!"

And then, the giant Killachine charged.

* * *

 _Battle start._

* * *

This Killachine was different than the others. The most notable changes were the fact that it was painted a crimson red, it seemed a bit more dragon like at the head area, and it's mace seemed even bigger, or maybe that was just in Cameron's head.

At this point, bosses were starting to lose their normal first-turn advantage, and Killachine 3.0 was no exception. In fact, the only one Killachine was able to speed past was White Heart, who was about ten levels below everyone else.

Freddy, who had Purple Heart set to switch at anytime, went first. He held his hand up to his amulet necklace and took a deep breath.

The surroundings grew darker, and the words, 'Sanctuary' appeared above him. The area seemed to become bathed in a soft, holy glow, and that glow reached everyone fighting. Suddenly, everyone felt a massive defense burst, and Freddy himself seemed to be gently wreathed in that light.

"I'd like to see that thing hurt us now." Freddy taunted, grinning at Cameron.

Cameron followed up by throwing his own skill into the mix. The words, 'Taunt' appeared before him. Cameron raised his hand up at the Killachine and gestured at it, shouting, "Come at me, I dare ya!"

What the Killachine didn't know was that this was only part one of the move. The real attack would come if the Killachine fell for the Taunt.

Once Green Heart charged forward and slammed her weapon into the Killachine, now it was the robot's turn. All seemed to go according to Cameron's plan, as the Killachine quickly seemed to target Cameron.

It swung heavily at Cameron, but…

Just as it would've connected, the surroundings darkened, and the words, 'Feint Jump' appeared above Cameron.

Cameron jumped backwards just in time to avoid the mace, and in response he quickly aimed a high-power divekick directly into the Killachine. The main point of the move to focus the attack of the Killachine at him and make it lose a turn, while dealing large damage to it.

"Dear god, I bet the author wishes he could do HALF the stuff I can do!" Cameron shouted gleefully, smirking at his friends.

A few more turns passed. Freddy's Sanctuary skill was useful, but the drawback was that it didn't last long. It needed a constant supply of SP to maintain, meaning that if he wanted to keep it up, every other turn would consist of him downing an SP item.

Since the party didn't offer that kind of luxury, he was forced to stop the skill after only two turns since its first use. Killachine seemed a bit more enraged in response.

By this point, Killachine wasn't down much, only an eighth of the way HP-wise. The guard wasn't down much either, a fourth of the way down.

White Heart grew impatient, and without even waiting for Cameron's input, she used her EXE skill 'Hard Break.'

True, it did reduce the robot's guard and HP significantly, moreso the HP, but Cameron was still peeved. "Blanc! What the hell?! I thought we agreed to NOT use EXE skills until the guard was down!"

White Heart growled at him. "Do you NOT want to destroy this thing?!" she shouted back indignantly.

Cameron puffed a breath of annoyed air, then steeled himself. "Well, if that's how we're gonna play things, I guess I should try something out."

Cameron prepped his arm cannon, preparing himself for something. "I hope you're ready for this." he rumbled, suddenly getting still.

The surroundings grew pitch black. Words appeared above him.

'Full Blast.'

 _(YAY MORE OVERPOWERED SKILLS!)_

Once more, the rainbow of energy surrounded Cameron, and his eyes quickly grew gold.

"Who doesn't love explosions?!" Cameron shouted, quickly charging his now glowing arm cannon. The moment he released the power, giant balls of energy burst out from the arm cannon, quickly slamming into Killachine and then imploding moments later, doing decent starting damage.

While Killachine was preoccupied by that, the glow of Cameron's cannon grew immensely, charging a huge amount of energy.

The moment the energy balls finished exploding, Cameron shouted, "EAT THIS!"

A ginormous laser beam burst from his arm cannon, aimed directly at Killachine. There was no way to dodge it: if it tried, Cameron simply re-angled his shot. While not incredibly powerful, it made up for it by doing incredible combo damage.

But Cameron didn't have enough. "Time for the overclock!" he roared, cutting off the laser. Suddenly, from the arm cannon burst two fully formed orbital cannons, which quickly started circling the man.

"FULL BLAST, COMING YOUR WAY!" he screamed at the top of his lungs, firing an even STRONGER beam from the cannon one last time, and this time the orbital cannons fired along with him, smaller beams encircling the big laser.

When the skill ended, the smaller cannons quickly disintegrated from too much use, and Cameron's arm cannon returned to normal.

From sheer combo damage alone, the Killachine was now down to half health, and almost half guard.

"Now THAT'S awesome!" Freddy shouted at Cameron gleefully.

"Thanks…" Cameron panted. Each one of his EXE skills left him quite drained, in actuality. Perhaps some of the power of the skills came from his own energy. And when he got angrier, he felt his energy rise, explaining why his power grew with each 'phase'.

The others, inspired by the two powerful EXE skills, attacked with renewed vigor, save for Cameron. Cameron seemed a bit out of it for a while, which was rather understandable.

The only problem with that was that Killachine seemed to be trying to target him a lot more than before, and it wasn't because Cameron was spamming his 'Feint Jump' move.

Cameron kept going as hard as he could, but his energy was leaving him far too quickly than normal, between the repeated attacks from Killachine and that he was still trying to fight the thing.

By the time Killachine 3.0 was down to quarter health, Cameron was barely able to stand, and his ability to fight was pretty much non-existent. And yet he had to keep fighting, as he didn't have anyone set to switch with him.

"Pull it together, dude!" White Heart shouted at Cameron, after he threw a half-hearted punch at Killachine.

"I… I'm… trying…!" Cameron yelled back, barely dodging another strike from Killachine. "I'm… I'm so tired…"

"We're almost done, Cameron! Just keep it up for a little longer!" Purple Heart called out, who swapped out with Freddy a while ago.

"I-I'm trying…" Cameron managed, barely making a solid kick at Killachine.

'So… tired…'

 _Cameron! Do not fail me now!_

'Slowing… down…'

 _You must prevail! You cannot fail now!_

'I… I can't…'

 _Yes, you can, and you WILL! I command it to happen!_

Cameron slowly felt a little stronger, though not much. 'Wh… what…?'

 _You are NOT going to fail here! You MUST win!_

The strong feeling grew more and more in Cameron, quickly washing away his tiredness by the second. 'What is this… feeling…?'

 _I'm giving you enough power to fell this horrible machine. Now, act! You won't be able to hold this strength forever!_

The strength Cameron felt seeped into his very bones. Suddenly, it looked as though he just taken a ten-hour nap and then drank two cups of espresso.

Even the others noticed the energy increase. "Woah, what the-?" White Heart asked, confused at Cameron.

"Feel… strong." Cameron muttered, looking at his fists. He quickly charged forward at Killachine, his feet moving so quickly he barely felt the ground.

His punching ability was leaps and bounds above what it had been just moments before. He punched like he never punched before. He kept rushing the machine, punching so fast that if he had done that to any other monster, it would've been knocked into next Tuesday and beyond.

By the time his turn ended, he felt fully rejuvenated, and the Killachine was now down to an eight of it's health. Purple Heart quickly rushed in with her 'Neptune Break' EXE skill, and Killachine just couldn't take anymore. The whole thing slowly whirred off as it's internal systems went into shutdown mode, and soon it was nothing more than a pile of metal and wires.

"*huff* *huff* *huff* That… was… even tougher than the one at Lowee…" Purple Heart puffed.

"Huh. That still didn't do the trick…" Ganache mused, still in the exact same place he was.

"You're still here?" Freddy asked, glaring at Ganache.

Green Heart looked rather smug. "I assume it was quite lacking against three goddesses."

Rather than come up with some sort of clever remark, Ganache… chuckled. That's it. Just a short chuckle.

"The heck you laughing about?" White Heart demanded.

"I must agree with her." Ganache agreed. "I didn't expect just ONE of it to defeat all of you."

Ganache pushed another button on his remote-thing. Another whirring sound came from nearby.

"Another one?!" White Heart shouted, surprised.

"Of course. We have many replacements, right here in this factory after all." Ganache agreed, pressing another button on his remote. Suddenly, lights around the walls clicked on, and the party realized just how many Killachines were stockpiled in this one factory. Dozens, perhaps even hundreds. Who knew if this was the only factory? If there was this many in several different factories… Avenir had more power than the party actually realized.

"There's… so many…" Cameron slowly said, suddenly feeling very small.

"Why of course. You only managed to destroy a single one out of the entire line." Ganache explained, smiling. "Oh, and if you had trouble with only one, then you won't make it out of here alive."

"You've gotta be kidding me…" White Heart complained.

"Oh, but I don't like to kid. Let me just show you proof…" Ganache said, raising his remote again. "Killachines, come!"

'Is… this it?!' Purple Heart asked herself, as her face paled slightly.

Ganache pushed the button on his remote again, and…

…

 _BOOOOM!_

As if all on a timer, all of the Killachines blew up one by one. Cameron did the smart thing and ducked for cover as small pieces of metal blasted every which way. The others, minus the goddesses, quickly followed suit.

"Wh-what?!" Ganache mumbled in disbelief. The only Killahine still standing was the one that he activated just a moment ago.

"Unfortunate for you, none will come to your command." a very familiar voice called out.

"You can say that again." another voice agreed.

"Those voices…" Cameron realized as he stood back up, his eyes widening.

From behind one of the wrecked machines, two familiar faces resurfaced.

MAGES. and Haywood.

"It has been a while, Neptune. Or, rather, is Purple Heart more appropriate?" MAGES. asked.

"Long time no see, everyone." Haywood greeted.

"MAGES.?!" Purple Heart exclaimed.

"Haywood?!" Cameron exclaimed.

"Why are you guys here?" Purple Heart asked.

"Well, I heard bad rumors coming from here, so I just meddled in some affairs…" MAGES. replied casually.

"I actually met her as she was making her way here." Haywood replied. "She said that you guys were here, so I tagged along with her."

"Y-you two! You broke them all, didn't you?!" Ganache yelled angrily.

"It was quite easy, really." Haywood shrugged, grinning dangerously. "You Avenir types have the worst security systems in the world.

"Aside from that large one there, I, MAGES., have destroyed them all." MAGES. said cooly.

Haywood looked a tad indignant. "Hey, I helped you know!"

MAGES. shrugged. "Of course. Apologizes. Your help was most useful. You have quite the knowledge of explosives."

Ganache looked flabbergasted. "I-impossible! How can just two of you be strong enough to destroy them all?! That's not possible!"

"Believe what you may believe, but note that what you believe is not truly reality." MAGES. replied.

"You don't see the pile of rubble that used to be your machines?" Haywood asked. "Get over yourself."

"H-how?!" Ganache demanded.

"Easy. I used my explosives to weaken their outsides…" Haywood explained smugly.

"...and then I used magic to destroy them from the inside." MAGES. added on, looking quite smug herself.

"All of them… all of our hard work… simply destroyed by just two of you…?!" Ganache repeated, simply unable to understand how that was possible.

"Now, stand, Neptune. I shall assist you once again, as before." MAGES. stated, pulling from behind herself a massive staff, twirling it as easily as one would to a small baton.

"You aren't going down yet, Cameron." Haywood added on, pulling out his sword. Unlike the one he had before, which appeared like a simple steel one, this one was pitch black, with a jagged edge and slightly curved outward. "Time for the final OC to get back in this party."

Cameron grinned. Oh how he loved a good fourth wall break. "Oh, I'm not even close to going down yet. Shall we teach Avenir what we think of their robots?"

 _MAGES. has joined the party!_

 _Johnathan Haywood has joined the party!_

And the group quickly got up to fight the final Killachine.

 _(What will happen next time? Find out NEXT MONTH, in HyperDimension Neptunia, Volume C! DUN-DUN DUN DUN DUN *insert DBZ outro*_ _)_

* * *

 **FINALLY FINALLY FINALLY!**

 **GOD I FINALLY GOT THIS DONE HOLY HELL I WANTED THIS DONE SO BADLY.**

 ***cough* *cough***

 **Err… sorry 'bout that. This chapter took so long to get out, I just wanted it done so badly.**

 **Anyway guys, I hope you enjoyed-**

 _(Hey, hold on a minute! I haven't gotten a chance to say anything!)_

 **Oh, right. What do you have to say, Neptune?**

 _(Nothing. =D)_

 **-.-**

 _(_ _Neptune is quite the… what's the word…_ _)_

(Slow-witted thinker?)

(Scatterbrained demander?)

 **Girl-who-only-has-her-mind-set-on-pudding-and-not-on-her-next-set-of-dialogue?**

 _(_ _Not… what I was thinking…_ _)_

 _(HEY! THAT'S MEAN!)_

 ***tosses Nep a pudding* What was mean?**

 _(*already halfway done* What were we talking about?)_

 **I rest my case.**

 **Anyway, again, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Sorry I had to cut it off just before a second battle, but if I went any further I was afraid I would never get anywhere else for a long time. So I hope you guys enjoy this chapter until the next one!**

 **As always, if you guys have any questions for me or the goddesses, just PM me and I'll do my best to get to you ASAP. Until next time guys…**

 **Stay awesome. =D**


	25. UPDATE: MY TRIUMPHANT RETURN

…

 **YES.**

 **I.**

 **AM.**

 **BACK.**

 **BABY.**

 **WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOlelOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!**

 ***ahem***

 **So I'm back, and very clearly excited.**

 **Sorry for making you all go a little blind from all of those 'O's. I promise I did not hide any text in them like I did that other time in OBaaT's 25th chapter.**

 **Probably. =D**

 **ANYWAY, yes folks. Your boy ButterHunter is BACK! After being away for… how long now? Month or two? More?**

 ***sigh* It hasn't been fun, I'll say that.**

 **Lemme explain WHY I was gone for so long.**

 **Some of you probably already know why (if I talk regularly to you), but for those that don't, I'll elaborate.**

 **My laptop broke.**

 **I'm quite serious on that. Laptop? Dead. Stone cold dead.**

 **Turns out what I thought was just a screen issue was much more serious. Like… 'both-the-fan-and-the-battery-are-not-properly-working' serious.**

 **Now… that might not have been so bad, you might be thinking. I'm guessing at this point that many of you realize that I have two laptops: one that school gave me, and one that I've had for a few years now.**

 **Well… you'd be both right… and wrong.**

 **Y'see… my school kinda has a sort of 'ban-everything-fun-on-the-Internet-because-reasons' mentality.**

 **Okay, that's not completely true, and I understand WHY they have to ban a lot of stuff, but still. For the LONGEST time, I was using my school laptop to type and upload stuff because at the time it was MUCH more faster and efficient than my personal one.**

 **But, just as things started getting better on my personal one (i.e. actually downloading Chrome to replace the dreaded Internet Explorer)...**

 **It broke, and I was left with the one school provided.**

 **Which, just as this happened remember, decided that was a website that needed to be banned.**

…

 **Yeah.**

 **Hit by the double whammy.**

 **So basically, I've had no way to access my profile except through my phone.**

 **Which has a spider's web sized crack in the center of it, so that's annoying enough, but…**

 **...this is gonna be awkward...**

 **You may know that the last thing I actually uploaded was a new chapter for OBaaT, and then I just kinda… dropped off the face of the Earth, yes?**

 **Well… that's because any sort of text editing that I do on here, like bolding or lines or italics, or whatever?**

 **Yeah, copy-paste through my phone doesn't really carry those over. Dunno if that's just cause I don't have the right settings or whatever, but it was a pain to have to run through that ENTIRE chapter again and fix EVERY LAST THING that was not copied over. Because I realized just how often I use that stuff.**

 **So given that, I wasn't exactly Goody Gumdrops about making another chapter that would take at least another half-an-hour to fix (I really need to get a better phone…)**

 **In ANY event, now that you are seeing this update chapter, it means my laptop is (hopefully, for better or worse) repaired and fully operational again! Yay!**

 **At least I could still get onto all my important documents and stuff (the Internet is beautiful like that), so I could still work on my stories even if I couldn't easily upload them. Fact, you might get a little more emails after this 'cause I know I have at least two chapters that can go up on my stories.**

 **So, all and all, I just wanted to make this update to show you all that I'm still here! I'm still here, I haven't gone anywhere yet. I'm just… busy. You know, like normal.**

 **(When am I ever NOT busy with life stuff, really…?)**

 **Just a forewarning, my life is gonna be pretty hectic for the next few months, even as summer kicks in, because not only am I going to college in a few short months time, but also I have plenty of responsibilities to attend to at school currently (the dreaded FINALS and GRADUATION CEREMONY coming soon (walking practice is gonna be a PEACH, I'd bet…)) AND I have some personal family priorities coming soon-ish.**

 **So… yeah, if I don't upload a lot even after this reassurance, please don't freak on me, okay?**

 ***happy sigh* I don't think I've felt so pleased to make some sort of update chapter in a LONG time.**

 **It feels good to be back.**

 **Oh! And in some related news, I've felt so happy…**

 **I felt that it was finally time I got my own Twitter account!**

 **If you like what I do here, maybe consider giving that a look. I might do some random stuff everyday or so. Maybe some insight into my writing process, some update stuff, a random drawing or something I eventually attempt, some random nonsensical stuff, memes… that kinda thing.**

 **If you guys want, of course.**

 **(Oh and don't worry, I'm not gonna spam every chapter past this one with my Twitter handle or anything, so don't worry 'bout that, K?)**

 **If you wanna give me a look-see, come look for me DTButterHunter. Maybe this could really be something kinda cool we can do, hey?**

 **Who knows what avenues this could open up!**

 **But anyway, now I'm done with the sellout.**

 **Until next time guys, in a real, REAL chapter…**

 **Stay awesome! =D**


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